


In the Eye of the Storm

by Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Gen, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 13:42:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants/pseuds/Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>INCOMPLETE. Bridging the gap between KotOR and TSL, Revan finds herself caught up in a particularly bad situation involving the True Sith, and it's up to her loyal Ebon Hawk crew to find and rescue her...but things go from bad to worse...as most things do...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Eye of the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net under the following:-
> 
> Title: In the Eye of the Storm  
> Category: Games » Star Wars  
> Author: Malak's Mistress  
> Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
> Genre: Adventure/Romance  
> Published: 09-28-06, Updated: 11-14-06  
> Chapters: 23, Words: 29,998

* * *

**_Chapter One_ **

* * *

 

Jolee's cup of caffa sat forgotten and cold in front of him as he stared at his padawan, almost speechless. Almost. He had not taken up the position of Jedi Master lightly and had made this clear to his apprentice, who had willingly and surprisingly sought Jolee out for his counsel. They sat cross-legged on the floor of Jolee's humble home on Dantooine, their meal forgotten between them. Jolee found his voice.

"Cut off the Force? Now why would you want to know how to do that?"

While his padawan's question had initially surprised him, he immediately knew the reason for him asking. Jolee shook his head and sighed, perhaps the boy was less stupid and possessed more courage than he gave him credit for.

"I…well…I know it is too late for me to really train to become a Jedi, I'm too old," Padawan Dustil Onasi continued before his Master could interrupt, "But the Dark Side…I don't want…" He trailed off, burying his head in his hands.

Jolee waited patiently for the boy to continue, the kid had been through more than his fair share of pain.

"I don't want to go there again," he looked up at Jolee, almost pleadingly. Dustil pressed on, having begun to lay his worries and thoughts out in the open he may as well lay it all out.

"And Dad…we're getting on great now and Revan and I, well, you know, we're actually friends…and I like that. Plus Mission-" Dustil blushed crimson.

Mission. She had managed to get under his skin in a bad way and then suddenly, while he wasn't looking, it wasn't bad at all. Far from it. He was certain the twi'lek didn't trust him entirely since his stint on Korriban, and that hurt more than he was willing to admit. Jolee had watched quietly as Mission and Dustil's relationship had progressed from barely contained hostility to mutual tolerance to an actual friendship. These day the pair spent a lot of time together and clearly, smirked Jolee, it was a tad more than friendly. He stifled his smirk quickly and waited for his padawan to continue. It was several moments before Dustil spoke again. Silently he had made his decision.

"I think, no I know it would be best for me and those around me if I no longer touched the Force," Dustil drew a deep breath and looked Jolee squarely in the eye, "I wish to severe my connection with the Force and I'm sure you know how to do it."

He waited nervously for Jolee's rant that would surely come, that he was being stupid, wasting his time. But it didn't come. Dustil searched his Master's face but it was as frustratingly unreadable as usual. Finally Jolee leant back on his hands and harrumphed in his old man type way.

"I suppose you aren't as thick as you sometimes seem, kid," Jolee grinned as Dustil's confusion, relief and irritation battled on his face. He didn't wait to see which emotion won.

"You are wise to realise that the Force perhaps should not have a place in your future, and I hate to turn all Noble Jedi on you but I have to ask: are you absolutely sure that this is what you want?" Jolee leaned forward and stared at the boy intently, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

Dustil's answer contained no trace of doubt but Jolee wanted to be one hundred percent certain before undertaking something so life changing.

"You will never connect with the Force again…" Dustil was already nodding.

"I know."

"Very well then. I shall guide you," Jolee held out his hands and Dustil grasped them in his own as they both closed their eyes. They sat in that meditative position for almost an hour, until Dustil open his eyes slowly.

"It's gone," he said tentatively to the old man, then smiled, "It's gone!"

He pulled Jolee to his feet, trying to find the words that could possibly express his gratitude towards his ex-Master.

"Thank you," Dustil eventually breathed.

Jolee merely bowed his head towards his former padawan and watched, smiling, as he walked away. Dustil had fought his anger, sadness, hate and fear for almost half of his young life. Now he had forgiven and, Jolee observed, was finally at peace. The Council was most certainly going to kick his ass for this when they found out but hey, that wasn't anything new.

He slowly walked to the garden in front of his home and lay in the grass, soaking up the early afternoon sun. Jolee's garden reminded him of the happier times with his wife and he soon drifted in to a peaceful, memory-rich doze.

He was rudely jerked awake by someone screaming down his garden path, calling his name at the top of their lungs.

"Jolee! Jolee! I'm going to do it! Jolee! Hey old man, where are y-" Carth promptly tripped over Jolee, who he had clearly not seen, and ended up sprawled on the ground beside him.

Jolee smiled and then laughed loudly at the dazed man. He tried not to make it a habit of his to read the auras and emotions of his friends, but Carth's was just so overwhelming. Even two years after the Star Forge, love and blissful happiness poured off of the man and Jolee was genuinely happy for him, but sometimes it was all he could do not to get giddy with the whirlwind of emotions. He sat up still laughing, as did Carth who was rubbing his knee.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up old man," he muttered darkly, but his eyes shined and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"So," Jolee recovered, "What are you going to do?"

He watched, amused, as Carth excitedly pulled something from his jacket pocket and handed it to him. Jolee opened the tiny box to reveal the biggest, shiniest, most beautiful blue diamond ring he had ever laid eyes on. He was impressed. The pilot had taste and obviously a hell of a lot of credits. Or not so many anymore.

"Well Carth, I don't know what to say. I mean I knew you liked me but, uh, I thought maybe our age difference would-" Carth snatched the jewellery box from Jolee, rolling his eyes, but then his face lit up again almost instantly.

"This is it! I'm going to ask her tonight!" his face betrayed his fear and anxiety, but the old man clapped him on the shoulder.

"About time my boy! By the Force, if you had left it any longer I was going to ask her for you!" He laughed heartily as Carth scowled, but any comeback the younger man may have had was interrupted by Carth's comm.

"Onasi," he spoke in to the comm, still scowling.

"Hey flyboy," Revan's voice filled Carth's senses.

"Hey beautiful," he managed to choke out.

The effect she had on him was nothing short of amazing. Jolee had to edge away from Carth, for he was very nearly rendered senseless by the unexpected and sudden increase in Carth's swirling emotions. He shook his head and smiled, the two were deeply in love.

"I know my creations are nothing short of terrible, but I cooked something I'm sure you'll like. It's actually pretty tasty!" Carth laughed, she sounded surprised at her success.

Jolee's ears perked up. "Tasty, you say!"

Revan's laugh echoed from the comm, indicating she had obviously overheard. Since she and Carth had been living together for the past eighteen months she had been diligently teaching herself to cook, much to Carth's dismay. Most of her dishes were either burnt or undercooked, but today she had struck gold.

"Yes," she laughed, "Bring the old man, too. I'll need his approval!"

"Okay, we're at Jolee's but we are on our way now," Carth replied, shaking his head as Jolee rubbed his hands together gleefully at the thought of free tasty food.

"Okay flyboy."

"Love you, beautiful."

"Love you too, Onasi." Carth smiled as he cut the comm connection.

"Well," Jolee demanded, making him jump, "It's going to take half an hour to get there, and if she's finally made something edible, I don't want to miss it!"

Carth chuckled and fell in to step beside the old Jedi, walking in companionable silence for half of the trip. Jolee eventually broke the silence.

"So did you have a little chat with Dustil about asking for Revan's hand?"

"Of course," Carth replied, "He was actually very encouraging, saying he could see she made me happy. It was kind of surprising really."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't think he'd be against it but I wasn't expecting him to be all for it either."

"I believe he has made peace with-" but Jolee's breath was taken away.

Carth glanced at the old man and was instantly concerned. He didn't hang out with four Jedi for almost three years and not realise when they picked up on really bad vibes, and the look on Jolee's face scared him. He had picked up a really bad vibe.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Two_ **  


* * *

****

"What's wrong?"

"That was a tremor in the Force," Jolee began, "A very strong Dark tremor."

Carth was on tenterhooks. "And?"

The old man spared Carth a glance but the fear he tried to hide was evident, causing Carth's heart to skip a beat.

"What?" he yelled.

"I think she's in serious trouble."

Carth's face drained of all colour and his heart flopped sickeningly against his ribcage. As one the two men ran, Jolee wrapping the Force tightly around them to push them as fast as they could possibly run. The old Jedi knew, however, that they would be too late.

Just outside the small building where Carth and Revan lived, the two men were joined by Bastila and Juhani, with Mission and Dustil in tow. No words were exchanged but it was clear that the two female Jedi had also felt the strong disturbance, while Dustil and Mission had no idea what was happening but were suitably scared. Bastila appeared extremely pale and shaky, which didn't escape Jolee's sharp eye and only worried him more.

Within seconds the six friends burst through the apartment door, only to be frozen to a standstill, unprepared for the scene that lay before them. Blood was spattered throughout the main room and several piece of furniture had been knocked over. The wall-length window had been shattered from the outside and glass shards littered the floor and sofa underneath it, along with the remnants of several grenades. But what drew everyone's attention was the very still figure crumpled next to the sofa.

It was definitely not Revan but before anyone could move, T3-M4 beeped from a dark corner of the room. The small droid rolled in front of them, bleeping and blooping.

Mission was frightened and what the droid was saying increased her fear. "Well quit beeping about it and show us already!"

"Dwooo…" T3 projected a recording in front of them and began playback.

_Revan was dancing to a silent tune as she stirred a pot on the stove when T3 whistled out several beeps._

" _Hey! Shut up you! It so does not smell bad and anyway, how would you know!" she glared good-naturedly at the droid before sniffing the pot tentatively._

" _Wow, it actually smells good!" her voice betrayed her surprise, "I'm going to have to share this or no one will believe me!"_

_Revan ran to the dinner table and snatched up her comm._

" _Onasi."_

" _Hey flyboy," she smiled as she curled several strands of her long brown hair around a finger._

" _Hey beautiful." Her smile grew bigger and her face flushed at the sweet nickname._

" _I know my creations are nothing short of terrible, but I cooked something I know you'll like," she ran over to the pot and had a quick taste, pleasant surprise showing on her face, "It's actually pretty tasty!"_

_Revan smiled as Carth's laugh sounded through the comm, and laughed out loud at Jolee's unexpected remark._

" _Tasty, you say!"_

" _Yes," she laughed, "Bring the old man, too. I'll need his approval!"_

_Steam and bubbling from the pot drowned out Carth's voice as Revan sped to the stove, turning off the heat._

" _Okay flyboy," she replied, distracted by the still steaming pot._

" _Love you, beautiful," Carth's voice tore her attention away from her cooking. She walked to the dinner table and leant against it._

" _Love you too, Onasi," she held the comm against her chest with a dreamy smile on her face._

_Suddenly she snapped to attention and ran to the bookshelf, rummaging around but all the while talking to T3-M4 over her shoulder._

" _Hey T3! Seeing as you're the only one here and I'm just busting to tell someone 'cause I can't keep it a secret anymore…" Revan found what she had been searching for and bent down in front of the little droid._

" _What do you think?" she opened a small box and showed the contents to T3. "Do you think Carth will like it?"_

_The small jewellery box housed a solid gold masculine ring, studded with several tiny blue and white diamonds. Her face relaxed in to an anxious smile as T3 beeped his approval._

" _I hope so," she said softly, more to herself as she hid the ring back in its niche, "I should see that it's okay with Dustil first. I don't want to ruin what they've finally found in each other."_

_Revan made her way to the table and sat down, lost in thought for several moments. The beeping of her comm startled her so much that dropped it. She hastily bent down to retrieve it._

" _Hello?"_

" _Hey you!" Mission's permanently loud and excited voice filled the room. "Watchya doin'? Did you try that recipe I gave to you from Leena?" Revan smiled at the twi'lek's non-stop chatter, eventually getting the chance to respond when Mission paused for breath._

" _The recipe worked out great! Thank Leena for me will you please," she replied enthusiastically. "Carth and Jolee are on their way to sample my delightful kitchen cuisine, want to come over too?"_

" _Hell yeah!" Mission yelled back. "Princess, Kitty and Mini-Carth are here too, want me to bring them as well?"_

_Revan's laugh tinkled throughout the room at Mission's nicknames for their other companions._

" _Sure! Everyone should know how great a cook I am!"_

" _We're at the Enclave but we are on our way!"_

_Revan sat down again still smiling at the young twi'lek, and spared a glance at the pot on the stove. Instantaneously, she was out of her seat and lightsaber in hand, head cocked slightly to one side with suspicion etched in her features. She turned her head slowly, scanning the empty room, and within a split second she was blocking the attack of a lightsaber-wielding figure. Their weapons sizzled against each other dangerously until she kicked her attacker away._

" _Who are you and what do you want?" Revan asked calmly, then she frowned. "How did you get in here?"_

" _I am to test you so you can prove that you are still worthy," he bowed towards her, ignoring her other questions and confusion._

_He was dressed from head to toe in black with only his fiery red eyes visible, and a second saber hung from his belt. Before Revan could respond, her attacker had ignited his second lightsaber and lunged at her, weapons blazing. The fight was ferocious but short, as Revan was much too quick for her opponent._

" _You…are…worthy," he whispered his final words to her before collapsing to the ground, unmoving._

_Revan remained standing in the centre of the room, a deep cut on her shoulder was soaking her robes in blood but she either didn't notice or was ignoring it. She stood silently and alert, her double-bladed silver lightsaber still glowing, sensing further danger._

_Without warning, four flash grenades burst through the window and instantly exploded in to dazzling light. Revan staggered, momentarily blinded. In the chaos seven figures identical to her previous attacker slipped silently in to the room through the shattered window. Six of them swiftly surrounded her closely, a pair of lightsabers directed menacingly at her from every figure, while the seventh person patiently waited for Revan's vision to return before addressing her. Revan recovered quickly and stood defiantly, her saber still blazing._

" _I think you know it would be best if you disarm yourself," the lone figure stated it as a fact._

_Revan hesitated, then shut down her lightsaber before dropping it. She stood comfortably with her hands clasped behind her, a picture of calmness._

" _Darth Revan," the man began, stepping toward her._

" _Jedi Revan," she corrected. The man decided to ignore this comment._

" _Darth Revan, you have been deemed worthy," he gestured dismissively to the fallen attacker and continued. "We are the True Sith. We seek the extermination of all Jedi and all that oppose us so that the True Sith will prevail! We are in need of a formidable leader to push us toward our admirable goal. That leader will be you, Darth Revan." He paused in his spiel and turned to her expectantly._

" _Uh, I'm not Darth Revan anymore, as I'm sure you already know, so thanks but no thanks…" Even she could see it was futile. He wasn't asking her, he was telling her. The disguised man began his speech again._

" _We are well aware that you now serve the Light, but you are still the most powerful, even in your vain attempt to distance yourself from your past. Unlike the idealistic Sith impersonators that are so common, we have much more…persuasive methods to…help you see reason. You are the best, the strongest. You WILL lead us, Darth Revan," the man stopped abruptly, then added, "Take her!"_

_Revan certainly wasn't going anywhere without a fight and had called her lightsaber to her instantly. She flurried and parried, jumped and dodged, but it was six to one. Revan was quickly tiring from the effort and had gained a couple more gashes, she was good but not untouchable. After several moments the leader of the group was apparently growing impatient._

" _We have been sensed by her companions! Quickly, someone stun her so we can leave!"_

_At his demand, all six Sith pulled out a stungun and shot Revan. Every shot found its mark and she immediately slumped to the floor, her lightsaber rolling under the table. This, clearly, was not supposed to happen. The leader, verging on panic, ran to Revan's side._

" _You worthless idiots! You've probably killed her!" he visibly swelled with anger as he knelt beside Revan's body. The other Sith edged away wisely._

" _You have killed her you imbeciles! I said one of you, not-" he shook his head angrily. Holding his hands flat in the air above Revan's motionless body, the man fell in to a meditative trance until Revan stirred slightly. He visibly relaxed with relief before gathering her in his arms and heading toward the window._

" _Come, we must leave! Too much time has been wasted. Your foolishness will not go unpunished," his voice dripped with the impending threat. One brave Sith found her voice, and gestured toward the single fallen Sith._

" _What about-"_

" _No time. We're leaving."_

" _But-"_

" _Now." It wasn't a suggestion. The six Sith obediently followed, disappearing through the window._

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Three_ **  


* * *

****

Everyone continued to stare at the space where T3 had projected the recording. Bastila was the first to regain her senses and began firing questions at the small droid.

We arrived ten minutes after they left!" Bastila cried out angrily. "They will be long gone." She sighed dejectedly.

It had truly pained her when she felt Revan die through their bond, and her relief had been extreme after she saw the recording. She had not felt Revan's return, but she now knew she was alive. Her death must have severed the bond permanently, Bastila figured. Carth's shaky voice cut through her thoughts.

"She…died," he whispered.

He had fallen to his knees. Tears streamed down his pale face but he made no move to stop them or brush them away. His grief weighed painfully and heavily on the Jedi, but it was Dustil who moved to comfort him.

"She's alive, Dad. They revived her," he spoke softly as he placed a hand on his father's shoulder. Carth nodded but made no other move. Jolee could practically feel the turbulent emotions contained in the room spiral out of control, so he took action.

"Looks like we have a rescue mission to put in motion," he began, then continued in a no-nonsense tone, "Mission and I shall visit the Dantooine Docking Bay to see if they detected anything unusual."

He glanced at the young twi'lek who nodded faintly, still staring glassy-eyed where the recording had been projected.

"Bastila and Juhani, you inspect that dead Sith for absolutely anything that could help us." The two women bent down beside the body, their sharp eyes and hands taking in every detail. Jolee cleared his throat in an attempt to gain Dustil's attention. On his third try, it worked.

"Ahem!"

Dustil's eyes snapped up to meet Jolee's. The old Jedi jerked his head from Carth to the bookshelf. Dustil was confused. He stared at his father, then the bookshelf, then turned his attention back to Jolee, still confused. Suddenly it dawned on him, Revan's ring! Dustil began searching the shelves for the small box, perhaps it would ease his father's grief. Jolee sighed exasperatedly, took the kid long enough to catch on. He laid his eyes on Carth and offered him his hand. The younger man was almost lost in his pain and anger. His eyes focused on the old man's hand. Hesitantly Carth grasped Jolee's forearm and stood up, wiping his face with his other hand. He began to speak but Jolee interrupted him.

"Sonny, try not to worry too much. She's strong. You know that. We'll find her." With that, Jolee and Mission left to carry out their task.

Carth stood staring unseeingly at the floor, oblivious to his surroundings. After several assassination attempts on her life he had brought Revan to Dantooine, figuring it would be safer close to other Jedi. The Council was attempting to rebuild the Enclave and a small town had sprung up near it. Living on Dantooine also meant that for the most part, the Ebon Hawk's crew stayed quite close, excluding Canderous, Zaalbar and HK-47.

Canderous had pledged to stick by Revan but later discovered that his people needed him more. He was on a quest to reunite the Mandalorians and instil their sense of honour again under his clan banner Ordo. Carth had not been unhappy to see the back of Canderous, he quite frankly detested the man, even if he had been useful.

Zaalbar had returned to Kashyyk to lead the wookies after learning that his father had died. He had been hesitant to leave due to his lifedebt to Revan but she had assured him that she would come for him if needed.

HK-47's story was very different. The assassin droid had become increasingly bored living on Dantooine and had eventually taken it upon himself to hunt kath hounds in the area. This went against his programming so, for safety's sake, the Hawk's crew decided it was best to disable the droid. HK now hung in the storage room of the Ebon Hawk, and Carth hadn't been sad about that either.

Bastila and Juhani had returned to the Jedi Order to complete their training and both were finally accepted as Jedi Knights. The two women were now under the direct instruction of Master Kavar to become Jedi Masters, though for different reasons. Bastila was striving to become a member of the Jedi Council while Juhani wished to pass her knowledge on to her own padawan.

Mission had stayed with Zaalbar when he returned to Kashyyk but came back three weeks later complaining about the lack of entertainment and the smell of the wookies. She now lived in an apartment in the same building as Carth and Revan, which she shared with her brother's twi'lek ex-girlfriend Leena. However, Mission spent most of her time at the Jedi Enclave, provoking Bastila in to arguments to 'give her practice for when she's on the Council', sparring with Juhani and hanging out with Dustil.

Carth's mind strayed for a moment as he thought upon Mission and Dustil's growing relationship. He didn't know who he felt more protective of: Mission because she was almost like a daughter, or Dustil because he knew what Mission was like. Carth's thoughts were dragged back to the here and now by Jolee and Mission returning. He realised he must have stood there for ages staring at nothing, while everyone else had actually been looking for clues to help Revan. Carth mentally kicked himself, embarrassed and angry.

"Well the Docking Bay air controllers were extremely helpful," Mission began sarcastically. "All they could tell us was that an unidentified ship landed on Dantooine in an unknown location and was gone again in twenty minutes." She kicked at the ground, her face a picture of disgust and her lekku trembling with anger.

"Which tells us that they were here and now they've gone, which we obviously already knew," Jolee interjected with a hint of annoyance. "Any luck with the dead guy?"

Juhani spoke up. "Somewhat. He has a tattoo on his left wrist which Dustil seemed to recognise."

Everyone turned to Dustil expectantly, who shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"Well I'm sure I've seen the same marking in one of the tombs near the Academy on Korriban. Don't remember which one though."

Dustil omitted 'Sith' from 'Academy', it didn't need to be said. It crossed his mind that he certainly wasn't the only one here who had shady incidents lodged in his past to cause him guilt and shame. Juhani and Bastila had both experienced the Dark Side, and his own father had touched the Darkness with his revenge on Saul. Still, Dustil preferred to forget the few years he wasted at the Sith Academy and was saddened by the friends he had lost there. However, it looked as though he would have to put the past firmly behind him as he guessed that Korriban would be their next stop.

"Well, looks like we're heading to the Dreshdae outpost on Korriban," Bastila echoed Dustil's thoughts. "Those who don't want to come-"

But her voice was drowned out by her friends' loud objections, punctuated by T3's insistent beeps. Everyone, it seemed, was coming.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Four_ **  


* * *

****

Carth left Jolee in the cockpit and headed to the common room. The old man could handle an hour or so there by himself with the Ebon Hawk on autopilot, plus Carth was in desperate need of a caffa. Dustil was the only one in the common room and, Carth noticed, he was staring deep in thought at a small box in his hands. It looked a lot like a jewellery box and Carth wondered if there was a girl in Dustil's life that he didn't know about. Or, his heart gave a small jump, Mission. The boy wasn't that reckless, he hoped as he sat down opposite his son, freshly made caffa in hand. They had only really been friends a short while. No, he thought, it couldn't be Mission. Dustil was so deep in another world that he hadn't even noticed his father.

"Dustil?"

Dustil jumped, startled. He started to hide the jewellery box in his hands but stopped, realising Carth would've seen it anyway. He looked up, meeting his father's warm brown eyes.

"Sorry, I was completely out of it."

Carth gestured to the small box with a shadow of a smile. "Something I don't know about?"

Dustil stared at him, confused, until it dawned on him that his father didn't recognise the box from T3's recording. He blushed slightly, hoping Carth wasn't thinking of Mission in particular.

"No," he said softly, sliding the small box across the table towards his father, "It's yours."

Carth merely gaped at him, then patted the pocket of his jacket where his ring for Revan waited safely. "No it's not, mine's right here."

Dustil shook his head at Carth. He knew his father was an intelligent man, so he decided to let his current display of denseness slide in light of recent circumstances.

"No," Dustil repeated firmly, opening the jewellery box toward Carth, "It's yours."

Carth stared wide-eyed at the ring which Revan had planned on surprising him with, then back at Dustil. His son was watching him, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You should wear it," Dustil said gently as he stood to leave, "Then, when we find her, you can tell her yes."

Carth watched Dustil leave before turning his attention to the handsome ring sitting snugly in its box, his eyes still wide with surprise and shock. He slowly took the ring and slid it on his left ring finger. He stared at it. The ring fit perfectly and looked as though it had quite possibly always been there. Carth buried his head in his hands and wept. He wept for Revan and he wept because his son had grown in to the man he had always wanted him to become.

Mission edged silently out of the corner where she had been trapped since first Dustil and then Carth entered the common room, her stealth generator still activated. There was no way that she wanted to be seen now. She glanced back at Carth guiltily as she slipped from the room, she had definitely witnessed something that she wasn't supposed to. Mission's heart ached for Carth as she trudged back to the girl's bunks, deactivating her stealth belt. But her heart gave a little leap and softened towards Dustil as she thought of the compassion he had shown for his grief-stricken father.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Five_ **  


* * *

****

Revan groaned and rubbed her head, well tried to anyway. All she managed to do was smack herself in the face as it appeared, on quick inspection, that her wrists were bound together securely. She closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the pain in her head, which she had previously intended on massaging away. When that didn't help Revan called on the Force, but hit a solid blank wall. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, painful headache forgotten. Where was the Force! She couldn't feel it! It's okay, she told herself to calm down, it's like back on Taris. No it's not, she argued back, I didn't use the Force back then but I could still feel it. She was panicking now.

"Calm down, girl, calm down," she spoke to herself quietly, taking deep breaths to slow her beating heart.

After several minutes Revan had managed to pull herself together, and began to inspect her surroundings. She was sitting on a small bed which, she noticed, was similar to her bunk on the Ebon Hawk. Am I on a ship, she wondered. The only other furniture in the unremarkable small room was a wooden table and two accompanying chairs, all bolted to the floor. Beyond the table was a door, which was clearly the exit as it was barricaded, bolted and locked at least three times over. Revan knew this because the door was transparent. Weird, she thought, it must be unbreakable glass or something. Evidently, they really didn't want her to get out. She figured it would take someone ten minutes just to get the door open.

"Locked in, hand cuffed," Revan shook her head, "I'm not that scary."

She noticed to her left a tiny refresher room and caught sight of a toilet, shower and sink. Thank the force, she sighed, I need to wash all this blood off of me. At this thought, Revan became acutely aware of the lack of pain anywhere in her body other than her throbbing head. She looked down at her body and took in her clean healed skin and fresh new robes. She sighed uncomfortably.

"I really wish people wouldn't do that," she muttered. It's not dignified at all, she thought angrily, plus who knows who saw me naked. She pushed the thought from her mind and gingerly brought her hands up to her head. She was rewarded with a painful sharp shock to her fingertips.

"Ow, crap!" she drew her hands away quickly.

A Force inhibitor of some sort, Revan mused relieved, well that explains why I can't feel the Force. The pain in her head was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and annoying, so she tried meditating. A few minutes later she gave up, it was just too hard without Bastila. Bastila! Revan was shocked to discover that she couldn't sense Bastila's presence. What had happened to their bond? Maybe Bastila was dead. No, she forced the thought from her mind as soon as it had come, it was probably because of the inhibitor she had lodged on her skull. To take her mind off of Bastila, Revan focused on her current predicament. The True Sith, the Real Sith, wanted her to be their leader, to once again take up the mantle of Sith Lord.

"Huh, as if I would," she said aloud angrily.

The True Sith, the man had said. What exactly did that mean? They certainly fought differently to any other Dark Jedi she had come across. And they possessed some advanced equipment, she thought, particularly thinking of the powerful Force inhibitor that crowned her. Were these True Sith what had caused herself and Malak to take those last few steps to the Dark Side, after the Mandalorian Wars? Is this what she discovered beyond the Outer Rim, in the Unknown Regions? Revan couldn't remember, but it made an uncanny kind of sense. Darth Revan and Malak had disappeared after the Wars, then returned changed, twisted. It suddenly occurred to Revan that she used the same lightsaber fighting style as the True Sith she had fought. She had never seen it used by anyone else before now, other than when she had battled Malak on the Star Forge. But that just confirmed her suspicions. No wonder I always seem to have the edge in combat, she mused, and no wonder the True Sith knew who I was…they know me personally!

Revan's thoughts drifted and she recalled how the disguised man had told her that they would 'persuade' her to lead them if she would not willingly. Her heart flopped nervously as numerous images of how they might accomplish this floated past her mind's eye. She shook away the images, no matter what they did to her she would not betray the Republic or the Jedi a second time, she would not betray Carth. Carth! The thought of him strengthened her resolve, Revan would fight whatever these True Sith threw at her!

As soon as she had made this decision, a Sith appeared at the door, apparently her resolve was to be tested. Revan waited patiently because she was right, the door was taking an awfully long time to get open. As she waited she took this opportunity to observe the Sith, but this proved useless. They all looked exactly the same, whether apprentice or Master, male or female. Like the others that Revan had encountered, the Sith who had finally managed to unlock the door wore black head to toe clothing, and a pair of lightsabers swayed on their belt. She briefly wondered what had happened to her lightsaber, it would be mighty handy right now. This person, however, also held a tray of food, which they placed on the table before sitting in one of the chairs. Revan peeked over the Sith's shoulder and saw two other Sith standing guard at the door, watching her closely. No chance of escape then, she thought ruefully as her attention once again focused on the seated figure.

"Please, take a seat and have something to eat," the man spoke rather formally, beginning to serve himself some food on a plate.

"I'm not hungry," Revan replied stiffly, but as soon as the words had escaped her mouth, her stomach growled loudly at the delicious aroma that had just reached her.

"Well, maybe I am a little," she quickly added as she sat opposite the Sith.

For a split second, she wondered if her meal might contain some form of poison but pushed this idea from her mind, remembering that the True Sith wanted her as their leader, not kill her…yet anyway. She paid no heed to the man across from her as she hungrily ate, albeit a little awkwardly with her wrists cuffed together, until he spoke.

"What's your real name?"

"Revan Kay L'tahn," she replied without thinking. I guess there was no harm in telling him that, she thought shaking her head.

The Sith nodded. "And what's your home planet?"

"Onderon," Revan glanced at the man, she hadn't wanted to tell him that. She frowned at her plate. Realisation hit her as she glanced at the Sith's untouched plate. What an idiot, she berated herself angrily as she pushed her plate away, so much for being a wise Jedi.

"Yes Revan, truth serum," the man laughed hollowly. "Now, another question: how many Jedi Masters still live?"

Five. The answer was on the tip of her tongue but she held it back with every last thread of her willpower. The truth serum was too strong though, and Revan knew she couldn't fight it much longer. She summoned up everything she had been taught during her Jedi training and silently asked herself a question, the first question that popped in to her brain, and answered it instantly and honestly.

_What's Mission's favourite game?_

"Pazaak."

The Sith stared at her, his yellow eyes ablaze.

"What did you say?" he asked softly, dangerously.

"Pazaak," Revan repeated, keeping her face carefully blank.

Without warning, the man backhanded her across the face so violently that she was thrown from her seat. Revan gritted her teeth against the pain and sat up on the floor, glaring angrily at the Sith.

"I underestimated you," he grudgingly admitted as he forcefully pushed her back in to her chair. "Let's play this your way then."

"How many Jedi Masters still live?" he asked again.

Revan closed her eyes in concentration before replying. "Pazaak."

Once again, she found herself sprawled on the floor, her cheek stinging. Revan sighed, this was going to be a long and painful interrogation. The man who she was growing to hate rather quickly, roughly pulled her in to her seat for the second time. And so time dragged on in this fashion for about an hour. The Sith kept it lively by asking different questions and occasionally hitting her with his other hand, so Revan returned the favour, yelling out answers like 'wookiee', 'cantina' and 'stuck-up schutta'. But for the most part, the questioning followed a fairly strict pattern: question, answer, backhand, glare, back to seat and repeat.

When the Sith finally snapped, Revan was intensely relieved. Her face was red raw and she was painfully bruised all over her body from hitting the ground hard and often. The man who Revan really, really hated now, hit her for the last time and left, leaving her lying on the floor. She wanted to cry from all the pain, but she didn't even have the strength to do that. Well, she thought just before she blacked out, that's the last time I accept food from a stranger.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Six_ **  


* * *

****

Asher walked briskly along the hallway, he was furious. The past hour had been an absolute waste of time and he had come to dislike the woman intensely. He reached his Master's private quarters and rapped twice on the door.

"Enter."

Asher attempted to regain his composure as he bowed to his Master, but that Jedi had infuriated him.

"I sense your anguish, Apprentice Asher," his Master sat cross-legged in the centre of his room, eyes closed. Asher couldn't control his emotions any longer.

"She's the stubbornest schutta of a Jedi," he spat, nearly exploding with hate. "She managed to somehow fight the truth serum and wouldn't answer-"

"Stubborn?" Master Yun'ti interjected smoothly, laughing softly. "Or strong, would you say?"

Asher gaped at his Master, taken aback. He hadn't thought of it that way.

"I suppose…" he agreed hesitantly after several moments, joining his Master on the floor in meditation.

"I knew she would find a way around the serum, Darth Revan possesses an enormous amount of willpower," Yun'ti finally opened his eyes. "It was to weaken her, fatigue her, force her to use her defenses."

Asher grinned, comprehending his Master's orders at long last. "And with her defenses down, she is much more open to…suggestion."

Yun'ti smiled. "Ah, now you understand, my apprentice."

Asher's grin widened, the past hour had been an absolute success.

X X X X X

Carth paced back and forth across the small space in the cockpit, anxious and impatient. It was going to take three days to reach Korriban so who knows what those True Sith would do to Revan in that time! Jolee watched Carth silently. He knew what was worrying the pilot, but didn't have the heart to tell him that they would be more likely to find a krayt dragon on Korriban than Revan. He sighed heavily, Jolee wanted to find her just as much as Carth did, perhaps more because he knew the ramifications of the current situation. He played out the worst-case scenarios in his mind. If they didn't find Revan in time, the True Sith would have either killed her or convinced her to fill her old shoes as Dark Lord. If she was killed there wouldn't be anyone strong enough to stand in the True Sith's way. If she became Darth Revan again well, Jolee shuddered, the galaxy might as well kiss its ass goodbye. It all came down to Revan's strength and willpower, and whether her friends were around to keep her out of trouble. Jolee sighed again, well aware that strength and willpower are all well and good, but knowing that they can only get you so far. He hoped there was some clue in the Sith tombs that would point them toward the True Sith because this was their only lead. Hell, he thought, even point them in the general direction would work for him.

Jolee relaxed back in the co-pilot's seat, ignoring Carth's low muttering and non-stop pacing. They had only be on board the Ebon Hawk for just over four hours but boredom was closing in fast, not to mention that everyone seemed to be irritating the old man. Jolee pushed himself from his seat and headed to his bunk, no one would annoy him if he was asleep and it was a great way to pass time.

Carth exhaled slowly with relief. As much as he liked Jolee, the old Jedi's constant sighing had begun to grate on his already frayed nerves, so he was rather glad to finally be alone. He flopped in to the pilot's seat, suddenly weary. Carth wished there was no such thing as the Force; it would save an awful lot of trouble.

 

* * *

**_Chapter Seven_ **

* * *

****

It was twenty-four hours until the Ebon Hawk would reach Dreshdae, and the entire crew were cranky with each other. Revan's kidnap had put everyone on edge. Bad habits weren't tolerable anymore, they were cause for an argument. Personality quirks weren't endearing, they were downright irritating. And more than ten minutes in the refresher was practically a crime. Bastila and Jolee had fought the worst of the arguments all because Jolee had drank the last of the herbal tea, so everyone was avoiding everyone else.

Carth was holed up in the cockpit and ventured out only when he was starving or in dire need of the 'fresher. Mission had claimed the garage taking T3-M4 with her, while Juhani spent her time in the cargo hold, clearly unable to spend another moment with Bastila in the girl's dormitory. Jolee had unabashedly taken over the men's dorm, suddenly deaf to Dustil's knocking on the door. After it became crystal clear that the old man wasn't going to let him in, Dustil retreated to the medbay.

Half an hour later, Dustil was insanely bored. He remembered Mission telling him ages ago about Davik's secret compartment in the cargo hold, and figured now was as good a time as any to check it out. He snuck out of the medbay and down the hall, peeking around the corner in to the cargo hold for any sign of Juhani. She wasn't there, so he swiftly ran to the far side of the bay where Mission had said the compartment was hidden. Dustil rapped sharply on the wall panels until he found the one that was hollow, and pried it open.

"Bonus!"

The compartment was much larger than Dustil expected, he could have comfortably stood in there. Well not presently as it seemed to be serving as a cellar of sorts. Davik was apparently a fan of Tarisian Ale because that was the only alcohol stored in the secret niche. Dustil weighed out his options quickly. He was on a dangerous mission, which contained the very real possibility of death. But he was only nineteen and had never had a drop of alcohol in his life.

"Well I had better change that," Dustil grabbed a bottle of ale and headed back to the medbay, silent as a shadow.

X X X X X

Jolee sat on the floor of the common room unable to stand, tears streaming down his cheeks. His body shook with uncontrollable laughter. In short, he was in hysterics.

"Glory glory hallelujah!"

Bastila and Juhani held each other up by the arms, both women weak from laughing so hard.

"Malak was hit with a saber!"

Carth stared, a wicked grin spreading on his face as he shook his head. Right now he wished he had a holorecorder.

"Revan hit him on the chin!"

T3, unbeknown to anyone, was silently recording. Who was he to pass up a chance like this!

"And the saber cut right in!"

Mission didn't know what to do and, for surely the first time, it seemed she was speechless.

"And his teeth fell right ooouuut!"

Dustil hung off of Mission for support, clinging to her waist tightly while waving his almost empty ale bottle around as he sang.

Ten minutes earlier the Hawk's crew had sped to the common room where someone could be heard yelling. However, the sight that greeted them was a very drunk Dustil, singing and dancing to a tune he had apparently just invented. On spotting the young twi'lek he had stumbled unsteadily over to her, lifting her clear from the ground in a hug.

"Mish! I'm sooo happy to seeee you!" and, subsequently, was disinclined to let go of her. Instead Dustil dragged her around the common room as he danced to his song. The three Jedi and Carth found this scene hilarious, and all arguments from the past two days were completely forgotten.

Now, finally, Dustil had ceased his jovial antics and was leaning heavily on Mission, his head buried in her shoulder and arms around her neck. Mission was incredibly embarrassed, mainly because having Dustil so close to her was having a peculiar but not unpleasant effect on her tummy. He jerked his head up suddenly, his face centimetres away from the twi'lek's cheek. She blushed as she became acutely aware of Dustil's breath sending chills up her back all the way to the end of her headtails.

"Hey Mish," he breathed, stumbling slightly.

"Mmhmm?" she replied, trying to regain her balance from Dustil's unpredictable movements.

"I want y'ta know, I reeeally like yooou."

At this confession Jolee let out a loud guffaw and hurried from the room, closely followed by Bastila and Juhani giggling manically. Carth caught Mission's eye and winked at her, trying to stifle a chuckle, before he and T3 left for the cockpit. The young twi'lek watched them leave, unsure whether she was really glad or even more embarrassed. While his admission had caused her heart to leap around in her ribcage, she knew he was incredibly drunk.

"That's real sweet D-man, but you're as drunk as a..as a…well I can't think of something. You should really get to your bunk."

Mission swayed dangerously under Dustil's weight, she couldn't hold him up for much longer. He mumbled something incoherent, which sounded like an agreement, so she guided his bulk awkwardly to the men's dormitory.

Dustil chattered all the way there, breaking in to song every now and then, until Mission pushed him in to his bed. She turned to leave.

"Hey Mish."

"Yeah D-man?"

"I think you're reeeally cuuute."

Her heart gave another lovely leap but she sighed. "Sure D-man, but maybe you should tell me when the ale wears off."

"Kay. Night Mish."

"Night D-man," but Dustil was already snoring softly. The twi'lek closed the door behind her quietly as she left.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Eight_ **  


* * *

****

Dustil flinched at the ground as the Hawk's crew trooped down the ship's ramp in to the hot, bright sunlight of Korriban. The sun glared down unmercifully as Dustil winced, his self-inflicted nausea intensifying. Carth sighed as his son rushed away from the group, heaving violently in to a nearby trash compacter. Jolee had told him how the boy had woke several times from his drunken slumber, only to speed down the hallway to the refresher. Carth followed Dustil, recalling the first and last time he had drank a wee bit too much Tarisian Ale, and shook his head. He knew exactly how Dustil was feeling. He offered his bottle of water and Dustil accepted it gratefully with a shaky hand. However before he could take a sip, Jolee appeared and snatched the bottle from Dustil's grasp, handing it back to Carth.

"No, no, no," he said as he searched in a small pouch that hung from his belt.

"He needs some water!" Carth exclaimed as he gave the bottle back to his son. Dustil opened it quickly, sensing another wave of nausea, but it was once again stolen out of his hands. He turned just in time to heave in to the very lucky trash compacter again. The old man waited patiently until Dustil was only breathing heavily before spinning him around and pressing a squishy purple berry in to Dustil's hand.

"Here, eat that before you upchuck again. But be sure to spit out the seed."

Carth and Dustil both peered down at the small berry dubiously but Jolee just harrumphed at their suspiciousness.

"Just eat it, boy!"

Dustil shoved the little purple berry in his mouth, not keen to throw up again, and immediately grimaced at the foul taste.

"What a baby," the old Jedi muttered. "It's not that bad."

"What was that you gave him?" Carth asked curiously, still watching Dustil closely as he chewed.

"Just a remedy that I learnt from-"

Dustil's choking cut off Jolee but he merely rolled his eyes as the boy's face began turning a slight shade of blue.

"Didn't you hear me? I told you to spit the seed out!" Jolee smacked Dustil sharply between the shoulder blades and a small black pit fired out of his gasping mouth, hitting a panicky Carth squarely on the forehead. Dustil coughed at the unpleasant taste still lingering on his tongue, and then realised he felt fine. Well no, he was starving because he hadn't risked eating for fear of throwing up, but aside from that he felt fine. He stared at the old man but Jolee was oblivious to him as he muttered to himself.

"…never listen, always disrespecting their elders. Hmph! Do they think I give advice for fun? No, of course not! Why, back in my day-"

"Why didn't you give me that berry earlier?" Dustil interrupted the Jedi's ramblings, his eyes narrowing.

"What?"

"Why didn't you give me that berry earlier?"

Carth was sure he saw a smirk pass over Jolee's features before an innocent expression settled on his face.

"Oh, well you know what my head's like. Didn't think of it 'til now," the old man wandered back to the rest of the crew, Carth and Dustil trailing close behind. Dustil wasn't impressed, but he respected Jolee too much to scream a string of obscenities at him. Carth smiled to himself, he was sure Jolee was making certain that his son had learnt a fairly painful lesson about Tarisian Ale. He chuckled softly as the old Jedi's humming reached him.

"And his teeth fell right out!"

Bastila was telling T3 to stay with the Ebon Hawk when the men rejoined them. T3 was obviously less than pleased with that arrangement but rolled back to the ship, beeping all the while.

"Doop beep boop dwoo!"

"Hey!" Bastila was scandalised at what T3 had whistled at her. "That droid needs a memory wipe! It gets too much of an attitude when Revan is not around."

Mission was giggling but stopped and looked away, blushing, when Dustil glanced at her. Uh-oh, he thought, what did I do when I was drinking? He couldn't remember and that caused a trickle of anxiety to run down his spine. What if I tried to grope her or something, the more Dustil thought, the more worried he became. Fortunately his thoughts were interrupted.

"Padawan Dustil," Juhani purred, "for someone training to become a Jedi, you seem to…"

She trailed off as she stared at him, frowning slightly, her teasing comment forgotten. Bastila, too, stared at Dustil, as though noticing he was there for the first time. He lifted his chin, defiantly meeting Bastila's stare. Carth glanced between his companions, confused, then turned to Jolee who was taking the opportunity to silently edge away. His attention was drawn back to Bastila with shock when she spoke.

"Why do you no longer wield the Force, Dustil?"

"You know it's better that I don't, so my connection was severed with Jolee's help."

"JOLEE!" Bastila whirled around to face the old Jedi, struggling to control her anger. Jolee had managed to reach the Ebon Hawk, halting briefly at Bastila's yell, before continuing up the ship's ramp.

"Seem to have forgotten my neural band, back in a jiff," and he disappeared in to the ship, Bastila storming after him. Within seconds their shouts could be heard.

"You know full well that the Jedi Council handles matters of this magnitude!"

"Hmph! It was his choice!"

Their voices became muffled as they argued deeper inside, which only seemed to emphasise the awkward silence outside of the ship. Mission gazed at Dustil, amazed that he found the courage to do such a thing.

"You are brave, Dustil," Juhani surprisingly broke the silence. "That would have been a difficult decision to make indeed."

He gave her a small smile gratefully, and suddenly felt an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm really proud of you, and I understand why you did it," Dustil looked up at his father and his smile grew.

"Thanks, Dad."

He felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Mission grinning up at him. She patted his arm but moved away when Bastila stomped down the loading ramp. Bastila's eyes were almost invisible under her brows and her body quivered with barely controlled anger. In stark contrast, Jolee strolled down the ramp behind her, exuding nothing but calmness, however the smug smile on his face gave his true feelings away. Bastila continued stomping toward the Dreshdae docking bay official who seemed oblivious to her fury.

"Oh, good morning Madam Jedi!" the twi'lek official greeted her cheerily in his native language. "The Ebon Hawk is back on Korriban! Thanks to you the Sith have all left!"

The twi'lek then looked at the crew curiously. "So why are you back here again if you don't mind me asking?"

"Holiday," Bastila replied stiffly. The official clearly didn't swallow this lie but didn't push her any further.

"Of course, of course! A lovely place for a holiday! Scorching sun, miles of dirt, dead Sith Lords," he grinned at the rest of the crew as he accepted a docking fee from Bastila before opening the door to Dreshdae. "Enjoy your stay!"

 

* * *

**_Chapter Nine_ **

* * *

****

How long had it been since they captured her? Four hours? Four days? She didn't know. She was bruised and battered, physically aching and mentally tired. She didn't know how much longer she could fight the truth serum or the repeated interrogating either. She had refused to eat their spiked food since the first time so she was weary and weak. That hadn't stopped the True Sith from administering the serum, they just injected her with it. Revan had a large painful bruise in the crook of her elbow where the Sith constantly poked the needle. Being cut off from the Force for so long gnawed at her insides, but she was almost getting used to it. With a flash of sudden realisation, she was glad she couldn't draw on the Force, because she felt sure that she would use the growing Dark that surrounded her to fuel it. Anger, hate and helplessness were slowly building inside her in response to the True Sith and her position. Revan tried to push these feelings away, but it continued to eat away at her. Am I falling, she wondered, I can't fall to the Dark! I'd lose Carth! I can't give in to the Sith again!

Revan opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore her aches, thoughts and growling stomach. As she gazed at the paint she noticed it was black, not the metallic grey of her usual ceiling. She sat up, light-headed with hunger, and observed the unfamiliar room. Well, less of a room and more of a jail cell. Her cosy new quarters consisted of a thin, dirty mattress, an even filthier toilet and another prisoner. A long dead prisoner. Revan eyed the yellowing skeleton warily, her situation didn't seem to be improving a great deal. She tore her gaze away and squinted beyond her barred cell but could see nothing in the thick darkness. The weak, bare bulb hanging from the ceiling barely threw enough light for the small cell.

"Hahahahaha!"

Her body screamed in protest but Revan jumped to her feet, searching the shadows for the source of the laughter.

"Who the frack's there?"

The spine tingling laughter died away to echo like a whisper bouncing off of the walls; it came from nowhere so had nowhere to go. Then silence. Revan shivered, unsettled, betraying her sudden fear and panic. The shadows seemed to separate from the darkness, dancing around her, stretching out of the gloom to grab at her. She shrunk in to the corner on the mangy mattress, curling her knees to her chest like a child. Her eyes darted from side to side tirelessly as she trembled with terror, believing that any moment now the dark could swallow her whole.

X X X X X

Asher pushed open the heavy metal door to the cells, swinging the key to Revan's cell casually on his finger. He was certain that she would cave this time. He had lost count of how many times he had injected and questioned her. Asher had brought triple the amount of serum he usually used on Revan, sure that the extra dosage would cause her to give in faster. While he had begun to quite enjoy the interrogations, they were taking his attention away from his training, so he wasn't planning on leaving until he broke her this time.

"Revan, I'm back!" Asher yelled out almost pleasantly as he approached her cell. During the earlier questionings he had discovered that he quite liked the ex-Sith Lord, but was well aware that the feeling was unrequited. So he was surprised when she appeared at her cells' bars, actually relieved to see him.

"Oh Carth, you're here! I was so scared!"

Asher stared at the woman suspiciously but he only sensed her immense relief. Carth, he wondered, confused. He swiftly forgot his confusion when Revan launched herself in to his arms as soon as he unlocked her cell door, sobbing hysterically. She was saying something but it was lost in her sobs. Asher took the opportunity to jab her with the needle, injecting the triple dosage without Revan even noticing. She's completely out of it, lack of food perhaps, he thought. This shouldn't take long then, he smiled to himself.

"It's okay," he soothed, "I just need to ask you some questions."

Revan nodded and sniffed, her tears subsiding as he forced her face up to look him in the eye. Her dirty, bruised face was now tear-stained but her eyes shocked him. The pupils were so dilated that her eyes looked like deep black pools. Suddenly Revan's gaze darted to a corner of her cell and she scrambled out of Asher's grasp as she let out a terrified scream. He stared at her mutely as she screamed, a chill slithering down his spine at the woman's expression. He glanced to where Revan's eyes were riveted but saw nothing. He edged away from the petrified Jedi, her behaviour spiralling out of control and shattering his own calm. Footsteps rushed up behind Asher and Master Yun'ti swept past him, throwing a powerful stasis field over Revan. Yun'ti gazed at the frozen woman indifferently, before turning to his apprentice. Asher spoke quickly, sure he had barely seconds to explain.

"I am sorry Master, I was impatient and wished Revan to break so I used triple the recommended dose, but she was already acting-"

His Master interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"It matters not."

"What?" Asher asked, confused but relieved that he didn't seem to anger Yun'ti.

"I had not considered that Revan would fight against us to such lengths," he stared at her still figure thoughtfully.

"I don't understand."

"Well, my apprentice, it would seem that the mind can take only so much. Instead of giving in, she fought until the very end."

Asher glanced at his Master in disbelief. "You mean the serum caused her to go…insane!"

"It would appear so, though I had only heard second-hand tales of such things occurring."

Asher stared dumbly at his Master as he continued.

"We are in no need of a crazed Sith Lord to lead us but perhaps the damage is reversible. I hope that is the case, for terminating such a glorious specimen of the Force would be a waste indeed," Yun'ti's gaze fell to Asher. "You have failed me."

His apprentice immediately launched in to a string of grovelling excuses but Yun'ti silenced him with his hand gripped in a fist. Asher choked, scraping at the invisible hand wrapped around his throat, fighting for breath, but his Master's fingers only tightened.

"You were doing so well with your task, Apprentice Asher," Master Yun'ti said simply as Asher's fiery yellow eyes bulged, his life ebbing away. "But now your impatience and stupidity may have lost the certain path of victory to the True Sith's goal. You understand, then, why I am extremely angry."

Yun'ti dropped his hand to his side and turned to face the terrified Jedi in stasis. His apprentice collapsed to the ground on hands and knees, struggling for breath.

"Thank you…my Master for allowing…me to live," he gasped.

"I merely spared you because I need you to do something else for me, however I will not hesitate to kill you if you are unable to complete this second task adequately," Master Yun'ti did not bother to control his rage at his apprentice's failure.

"Of course my Master, anything to redeem my foolishness," Asher had recovered, but didn't dare move staring from the ground.

"Take Revan to the infirmary and ensure the medical officers understand the importance of reversing her current state of mind," Yun'ti whirled around to face his cowering apprentice. "Be certain that every precaution is taken if they absolutely must remove her inhibitor, an insane and powerful Force-user is not someone I want running around causing havoc."

Asher listened as his Master's footsteps echoed out of the cells until fading, not gaining the courage to rise from the floor until he was shocked in to action by Revan's stasis field wearing off. The woman could scream and she didn't miss a beat. He hastily smacked her on the back of the head with the hilt of his lightsaber and threw her unconscious body over his shoulder. After hearing how well her lungs worked, Asher couldn't wait to pawn Revan off to the medics at the infirmary.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Ten_ **  


* * *

****

Carth stood quietly with the rest of the Ebon Hawk's crew amongst the pillars of the Sith Academy's excavation site. Bastila and Jolee were arguing about whether the group should split up to search the tombs or stay together as one, so Carth ignored them and stared out toward the tomb of Naga Sadow, memories flooding back from the last time he set foot on this planet. The crew had followed the same path Revan, Carth and Jolee had taken over two years ago through the Academy, and were somewhat relieved to find that the Sith seemed to have abandoned it since then.

Everyone stood silently, with the exception of Bastila and Jolee, ignoring the pair or hesitant to voice their opinion during the dispute. Bastila had pounced on every opportunity to clash with the old Jedi since their disagreement concerning Dustil, and the rest of the crew were rapidly growing tired of the incessant bickering.

"It would be much more time-efficient if we separate in to two groups-"

"Hmph! Of course it would be quicker, but the tombs are dangerous! It would be much safer if-"

"Two teams of three would be quite capable-"

"Have you ever been in these tombs, Bastila?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Like I said, we should-"

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Mission's patience fizzled out and she threw up her hands in exasperation. "And you reckon I'm a kid! Listen to you guys!"

She tossed her lekku over her shoulder impatiently while the two arguing Jedi looked suitably sheepish.

"We're wasting time," Carth agreed, tuning in to the exchange at the twi'lek's outburst and silently congratulating her for taking the pair down a notch.

"Well I suppose splitting up would make searching the tombs much faster," Jolee grudgingly admitted after a brief silence. "As long as everyone keeps their wits about them, no one crashing around like a drunk cannock."

Juhani nodded. "I concur. Perhaps Bastila, Dustil and myself will explore the tombs on the left and Jolee, Carth and Mission the tombs on the right?"

Everyone stared in quiet shock at the young Cathar who rarely took charge. Not only had she divided the group in to two teams roughly equal in abilities, but it was also the arrangement that was the least likely to cause problems. All of the crew murmured their assent and agreed to meet in two hours at the central pillars. Chronometers were synchronised and comm links double-checked before each trio headed for opposite tombs.

Mission trudged along between Carth and Jolee, zoning out of the men's conversation in to her own thoughts. I hope Revan's okay, she thought anxiously, it's been a couple of days now. Ever since the young twi'lek had met her on Taris, Revan had become her family, her sister. Mission snuck a glance at Carth, who she also considered family despite the rocky start to their relationship. He must be out of his mind with worry, the teenager thought with a pang of sympathy.

They reached the entrance of the tomb and Jolee motioned for them to ready their weapons. Mission stared up at the entry with a shiver of trepidation as she drew her blaster, Carth following suit beside her. She had remained behind on the ship when they first visited Korriban searching for the Star Map and, as the three friends silently entered, she wondered if that had been for the best.

The trio stayed close once inside, Jolee's blazing green lightsaber illuminating their path. What Sith Lord's tomb was this, Mission tried to remember as she gripped her blaster tightly. Ajunta Pall, Jolee had informed her earlier. Carth had then told the teenager how Revan convinced Ajunta Pall's ghost to return to the Light. Mission had listened to the story fascinated, wondering how you could possibly persuade a spirit. Now she edged closer to Carth, her headtails trembling slightly, hoping they didn't run in to any restless ghosts this time.

Three quarters of an hour later, Mission wished there were some cranky spirits, just to spice things up a little. She was bored and, she was sure, even the two men were as well. They had explored the entire tomb and it was completely empty, save for a few crumbling skeletons and a mummified Sith Lord. They left Ajunta Pall's tomb and began the short trek to the next one while Carth contacted Dustil on the comm. After exchanging their findings so far, Carth cut the connection and spoke to his companions.

"They walked right in to a nest of shryack and tuk'ata but it's nothing they can't handle," he sighed as they stopped outside the second tomb. "I think we got the boring side."

"Hmph! Even an old man needs some excitement in his life," Jolee harrumphed crankily. "Let's hope this one has at least some gizka to chase eh!"

Mission giggled as they entered the tomb, glad she wasn't the only one finding the lack of action mind-numbing. Her laughter died away instantly when four black-clad figures materialised from the ominous darkness. Her heart jumped to her throat as she realised they were True Sith, for they were dressed exactly like Revan's attackers. This was, perhaps, more action than Mission had anticipated.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," the woman's voice was as cold and harsh as her sneering black eyes, eerily aglow in the light of her red lightsaber.

I don't want us to die, Mission screamed desperately and silently, huddling between her friends as the figures drew closer.

 

* * *

**_Chapter Eleven_ **

* * *

****

Juhani, Bastila and Dustil stood waiting in the shadows of the towering central pillars. Other than a few dozen shryack and tuk'ata, Naga Sadow and Tulak Hord's tombs were devoid of anything useful to their mission. It was only several minutes past the allotted time the crew were to meet together, but Bastila began pacing anxiously.

"What if they have run in to some sort of trouble?" It would be your fault, she added silently.

"Look, they can handle themselves, but do you want me to get in touch with Dad on the comm?"

Bastila sighed, somewhat relieved at the thought. "Yes, thank you, Dustil. They are probably fine but…"

She trailed off as Juhani squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. The young Cathar knew that Bastila would blame herself if anything happened. She gave Bastila a small smile, hoping the others were indeed fine. After several moments, Dustil jumped to his feet, his face mirroring Bastila's worried features.

"He's not answering."

They exchanged anxious glances before speeding off to check on their companions. Swiftly weaving around the pillars, Dustil suddenly pointed in to the distance.

"Over there, Juhani, is that them?"

Juhani squinted against the glare of the sun to where Dustil pointed and her stomach lurched. With her exceptional eyesight the Cathar could see much further than the other two, but what met her eyes sent shivers along her fur.

"Speed us with the Force, Bastila! They need our aid!"

As they ran closer Dustil understood why Juhani's voice was edged with fear. The old Jedi was favouring his right leg heavily as he limped toward them, his left leg badly slashed and soaking his robes with blood. He held a hand tightly over a large gaping wound on his shoulder, but this did little to slow the bleeding. Dustil swallowed back rising bile as his eyes came to rest on his father's figure stumbling just behind Jolee. It was hard to tell where Carth was injured as blood was splattered all over the soldier's armour. The men were without a doubt seriously injured but alive, however Dustil's heart skipped several beats when he saw Mission. The twi'lek's bloody body hung limp and motionless in his father's arms, her headtails swinging against Carth's side as he wearily stumbled. Bastila rushed to Jolee's side to heal his wounds and, for the first time, he didn't wave her away or object. Juhani and Dustil sped to Carth.

"Is she..?" Dustil blinked back tears, unable to finish. Carth shook his head, too worn out to speak as Juhani laid her hands on Mission.

"She's alive but very badly injured," she murmured as she began healing what she could of the twi'lek's injuries. "We need to get her to the ship immediately!"

Carth lowered Mission to the ground before collapsing in a heap beside her. Dustil rushed to his aid but Bastila gently pushed him away.

"Contact T3. Get him to bring the Ebon Hawk here now," Dustil relunctantly left his father and did as he was asked. He spoke in to his personal comm quietly as the two female Jedi healed the others.

"T3? We need you to bring the ship to the excavation site right now!"

"Dwoop beep doot?"

"Yes and hurry!"

Dustil hovered beside the two female Jedi as they exhausted their Force powers on their wounded companions. He felt useless. He didn't even have any medpacks with him, leaving them on the ship because he had been too unfocused to think of grabbing them. And if he were still a padawan, he could've helped now. Who are you kidding, Dustil told himself, all the Sith taught you was how to hurt other people. The roar of the Ebon Hawk distracted him from his thoughts, and he quickly busied himself aiding his friends on board.

Jolee had his arm wrapped around Juhani's strong shoulders as she gripped him by the waist, leading the old Jedi to the ship's medbay. Dustil buckled under his father's weight as he helped him stand, but kept his balance as they followed the Cathar up the loading ramp. Bastila had gathered up the unconscious twi'lek in her arms, awkwardly though as the teenager was almost the same size as her. She drew on the last of her force reserves to ease Mission's weight and stumbled behind Dustil in to the ship, moments before T3 lifted the vessel back in to the sky.

The two injured men were propped up on the bench in the medbay, Juhani and Dustil administering kolto to their remaining wounds, leaving the single cot for Mission. Bastila lay the girl's motionless body down on to the bed, as gently as her fatigued limbs would let her, and injected her with several kolto packs. Bastila was rubbing healing salve in to Mission visible gashes, hoping it would help minimise scarring, when T3 appeared at the door. The little droid beeped in surprise, unsure as to why the six sentients were crammed in the smallest room of the ship. His whistles became low and anxious when he saw the state his companions were in. Jolee slid off the bench to his feet, swaying dangerously before Dustil grabbed his arms to steady him.

"What do you think you're doing! You need to recover!" Bastila scolded the old man but her concern shone through her face and her tone.

"We need to get this bucket of rust moving in the right direction," Jolee grimaced at the effort of talking. "Come on T3, I'll show you on the nav chart where we're headed."

The little droid beeped and disappeared toward the cockpit, the old man making to follow, slowly limping with Dustil's support.

"Where are we going?" Juhani asked before the Jedi could leave.

"Xeruun."

"What!" Bastila stared at Jolee in disbelief. "But Xeruun's beyond Republic space, in the Unknown Regions!"

"So that would make perfect sense," the old man crankily snapped back.

"It is several days hyperspace travel from my home world," Juhani spoke quietly. "It will take us at least six days to get there by my estimate."

"Six days!" Bastila couldn't keep herself from crying out. Everyone knew what hadn't been said out loud: Revan surely didn't have that kind of time. Jolee turned to leave again, Dustil gripping him by the arm to steady him.

"I know a hyperspace route from my smuggling days, it's fairly risky but it will shave our travel time in half."

Bastila silently watched the two men as they slowly made their way to the cockpit, wondering what happens to ships and their crew who don't jump to hyperspace correctly. She pushed the thought from her mind as her attention settled on the injured soldier, what other choice did they have?

"What happened in Marko Ragnos' tomb?" she asked curious and concerned at how her friends had become so badly hurt. Carth winced before he spoke as Juhani tended to a particularly nasty lightsaber gash on his arm.

"Marko Ragnos huh, I couldn't remember which tomb it was," he shook his head. "Ran in to four of those True Sith bastards. The damn Sith scum were so sure they'd kill us that they didn't mind spillin' a few details first."

"They very nearly succeeded," Juhani purred softly, relieved her friends had escaped with their lives.

"Yeah," Carth shuddered slightly at the thought before continuing. "Well, they were on Korriban deciphering hieroglyphs for more information about the Sith'ari or something."

"The Sith'ari?" Bastila queried, the term was not familiar to her.

"Yeah, I don't know, I didn't listen too closely to that part. Anyway, they mentioned that Revan should have arrived at their hidden settlement on Xeruun early this morning, then all hell broke loose."

"Hidden settlement?" Juhani was puzzled. She hadn't said anything earlier but she was certain that Xeruun's surface was uninhabitable.

Well, we would've found out more," Carth glanced over at the unconscious twi'lek with a hint of a smile. "But Mission shot one of 'em in the head."

"Mission!" Bastila's jaw dropped as she looked down at the teenager.

"Uh-huh," he chuckled at the Jedi's reaction but sobered quickly. "If she hadn't taken one of them out so fast, we wouldn't be here now, for sure."

Carth gazed at Mission fondly as the two Jedi stared at the young twi'lek with a new sense of respect for her skills.

"Little Blue over there, there's no doubt in my mind that she saved mine and Jolee's life."

 

* * *

**_Chapter Twelve_ **

* * *

****

Jorelyn stood beside his assistant, both staring with uncertainty at the powerful former Dark Lord huddled in a corner of the infirmary rocking back and forth crying. What exactly did they do to her, he wondered, taking in the haggard woman's thin and beaten appearance. Her face was badly bruised, that much was obvious, but Jorelyn hadn't risked getting too close to her to evaluate her injuries fully. All the information that Apprentice Asher had given them was that Revan appeared to go crazy after her last dose of truth serum, and to _not_ take the Force inhibitor off. Jorelyn had many questions for the apprentice, the one most burning in his brain being how many doses of truth serum had they actually administered to her, but he wasn't suicidal enough to ask them. Instead he watched silently as Asher dumped an unconscious Revan on the infirmary floor and stalked out. Moments later she had woke, only to scramble to the corner where she was now. Jorelyn observed Revan closely, she seemed somewhat aware of her surroundings so that was a good sign.

"What do you think we should do?" his assistant Marna asked hesitantly, the poor girl clearly unsettled by Revan's mere presence, let alone her current state of mind.

Jorelyn sighed, mentally sifting through every aspect of his medical training for any idea on how to proceed. He and Marna had barely opened their own tiny medical centre on Alderaan four years ago when the True Sith swooped in and stole them away, bringing them here. No one had seen them disappear off the face of the planet, and Jorelyn often wondered how his friends and family were coping. Marna had been planning to be married two months after they were kidnapped, but Jorelyn's soft-spoken assistant had held up surprisingly well. They were treated well enough, but the pair never ceased dreaming of returning home. However, the True Sith had needed skilled medical officers, so here they were still. Jorelyn often questioned what would happen when they weren't needed anymore, but he forcibly pushed these thoughts away.

"Perhaps we should clean her up and treat her physical wounds, then go from there," Marna suggested.

Jorelyn nodded in agreement, it was a sound plan. He would have asked Marna to clean up Revan on her own out of decency, but he thought the young woman might go in to cardiac arrest at the mere thought.

While Revan appeared fairly harmless, she was still unstable and therefore unpredictable, so Jorelyn shot a tranquilliser at her from where he stood. Almost immediately Revan slumped asleep. He removed the bonds tied tightly around her wrists and the pair set to work, discussing all the while what their next step ought to be.

"She needs something to eat, she looks like she hasn't eaten for days," Jorelyn observed as they dressed Revan in a fresh set of robes.

Marna agreed so she located a box of protein bars from the supply cupboard while Jorelyn bound Revan's wrists again, just in case. She had woken up groggily as he was binding her hands, but she didn't seem to notice him. Marna offered her a protein bar but Revan's eyes grew large and wild.

"NO! Get away from me!" she screamed vehemently.

Marna's eyes widened in fear at the angry outburst but she persisted bravely, unwrapping the bar and biting a chunk out of it.

"Mmmm, yum," she forced a smile as she chewed, offering the protein bar again.

Revan stared at Marna until she slowly took the bar and nibbled at it. After a long pause she stuffed the entire snack in to her mouth and continued to stare at Marna expectantly.

"I think she wants more," Jorelyn urged his assistant on in a whisper, not wanting to startle Revan.

Marna, gaining courage, proffered another bar toward Revan, who stared at it suspiciously before screaming again.

"No! I won't eat your poison!"

She jumped away from the ex-Sith Lord, not expecting the second angry shriek.

"Do what you did last time!" Jorelyn urged her again.

Marna repeated the process of opening the protein bar and eating some of it, before handing it to Revan cautiously. Revan again accepted the bar and forced the whole thing in her mouth a second time.

"It's like she wants to make sure it's okay to eat," Jorelyn watched the woman thoughtfully.

"You mean I'm gonna have to have a bite of everything I give her?" Marna asked incredulously.

Jorelyn gave her a small smile. "Looks like it."

Ten protein bars later Marna was sick of eating them, and was glad when Revan finally appeared satisfied. She sighed with relief as she packed the half empty box away but turned back quickly when the woman seemed to notice Jorelyn for the first time.

"Carth! It was horrible!" Revan had grabbed Jorelyn by the shirt and her whole body shook with her sobs.

Jorelyn was shocked at her sudden movement and confused at the name she used, but it also sounded familiar. He didn't know what to do and, he glanced up at his assistant, neither did Marna.

"The skeleton was laughing at me and the shadows were menacing me and the dark is trying to devour me!" Revan's words dissolved in to body-wracking sobs as Jorelyn hesitantly comforted her. What she was saying made no sense to him but she somehow seemed to be saner than before.

"It's okay now, my name is Jorelyn and this is Marna," he tried. "We're here to help you."

Revan didn't seem to hear him as she tightened her grip on him. "Take me home, Carth. I don't like it here. Take me home please!"

Jorelyn motioned for Marna to pass him a sleep-inducing relaxant, which she did hastily. He injected her quickly and she fell against his chest, asleep again. He and Marna arranged Revan comfortably on one of the beds before retreating back to the infirmary's main room.

"She seems much more aware, or normal or something, when she believes she speaking to this Carth, doesn't she?" his assistant asked softly.

Jorelyn agreed. "It sounds like 'Carth' is what is keeping her…" he searched for the right word. "…anchored in her mind."

Marna nodded, understanding what he meant.

"If we wait until the truth serum has passed through her system, we will have a slightly better chance of helping her," he glanced at his chronometer. "That will take about twelve hours, assuming the serum was administered within the last hour or so, so we may as well get some shuteye."

He bade Marna goodnight as he checked on Revan quickly before heading to his room, sighing as he left. Tampering with an already fragile mind was not a fantastic idea in his book, but what choice did he have? If he didn't help Revan return to how she was before Asher had messed her up, what would the True Sith do to him and Marna? He shivered at the thought. He had heard snippets during his time here so he knew enough to realise that Revan was extremely important to them, though why he wasn't sure. Jorelyn knew all about the Star Forge's destruction and Revan's hand in it, both as a Sith and a Jedi. But he knew now that she stood by the Jedi Order and the Republic, and that made her a friend in his eyes. If there was a way to get off this damn planet and stick it to the True Sith, it would be by Revan's side. Jorelyn settled in to bed, turning out his light. He was going to help the Jedi Revan even if it killed him, which, he added, it probably will.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Thirteen_ **  


* * *

****

"…and I'll take you to the swoop races on Manaan because you said you didn't get to see them the one time you were there…and I'll buy you heaps of those juja jelly cakes you like so much…"

Mission lay still, keeping her eyes closed, unsure if she was actually awake or dreaming.

"…and I'll even help you find your brother, well, I mean, I know he's a core-slime because Revan told me all about him, and I'd probably punch him in the gut for what he put you through…but the point is I'd help you if you wanted to find Griff again…"

Mission tried not to smile when she recognised Dustil's low voice washing over her. Her heart quickened when she realised he had one of her hands clasped in his and she told her body to stay motionless, listening to Dustil.

"…and I won't push in front of you to get to the 'fresher first ever again…and I promise I won't cheat at pazaak again either…but you have to wake up!"

His voice rose an octave as he shook her hand in his for emphasis, and Mission felt a surge of guilt pretending to be asleep when Dustil was so clearly worried about her.

"I never knew you cheated," she opened her eyes as she sat up slowly.

Dustil stared at her, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, before pulling her against his chest and crushing his lips against hers. Mission barely had time to respond to his intense kiss before they were rudely interrupted.

"Ahem."

The teenagers sprung apart as if burned, both blushing furiously as Jolee smirked from the doorway.

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Mission."

The young twi'lek mumbled something unintelligible in response as her blush intensified. Jolee stayed silent much longer than necessary, drawing out the awkward moment just to watch the pair squirm with embarrassment.

"Oh Dustil," the old man added as if as an afterthought, just before leaving. "Carth wants to speak with you."

Dustil rushed out of the medbay behind the Jedi, leaving Mission sitting on the small cot by herself. She stared dazedly where Jolee had been standing, light-headed from Dustil's lingering kiss. Sure she had kissed a couple of boys before, but never had she shared a kiss like that. She was certain that if she hadn't been sitting down, her legs would have caved under her. Her lekku still twitched at the memory of it. Bastila swept through the door at that moment, pushing the twi'lek firmly back down on the bed.

"You shouldn't be up and about," Bastila said as she carefully inspected the girl's skin where her injuries had been.

"I'm fine, geez," she replied moodily, the Jedi was treating her like a kid. "Plus, if you hadn't noticed, I wasn't out of bed."

"You've been unconscious for a whole day so you can't just go running around, Mission," the woman spoke softly, her concern became apparent to the young twi'lek.

"Sorry, I just-" Mission realised what Bastila had said. "What! I've been out for a whole day?"

"I'm afraid so. Carth and Jolee filled us in on what happened in the tomb," she added quietly. "That was very brave Mission, stupid, but brave."

With a flash, she remembered everything that had happened on Korriban. She had been so fearful for Carth and Jolee's lives that she pulled the trigger of her blaster without really thinking. Mission had shot the Sith woman right between her cold dark eyes, determined to do something right before she died at the hands of the True Sith. After that, a fierce fight broke out and she was struck several times, the remaining Sith moving too fast for the young twi'lek to cause them any real damage. She fell to the ground a bloody mess and felt, rather than saw, one of the men stand over her for protection seconds before she blacked out.

Mission glanced up at Bastila with a small smile, slightly embarrassed by the Jedi's rare praise.

"You don't have to stay in bed, but just take it easy okay?" the older woman gave her a quick hug as she nodded before withdrawing from the medbay.

Dustil entered the cockpit and sat next to his father in the vacant co-pilot seat, still distracted by thoughts of a certain blue twi'lek. He shivered at the memory of the heat and emotion that had seared through his being when he had held Mission so close to his body. He tried to shake away the thoughts dejectedly. He shouldn't have kissed her. She was only sixteen. The growing feelings he had for her were probably too much for her to understand.

"Dustil?" Carth's voice tore him out of his reverie.

"Yeah?" he glanced at his father's serious face. "Jolee said you wanted to speak with me?"

Carth sighed and looked down at his hands, not really knowing how to begin.

"When we get to Xeruun in forty-six hours, Mission, T3 and yourself will stay on the ship-"

"What!" he interrupted with disbelief, though he could tell that his father had already made the decision.

"If something goes wrong T3 can still fly you out of there, and there's no way the Jedi or myself are letting you and Mission come with us-"

"But-"

"No, it's just too dangerous!" Carth sighed. "Mission nearly died on Korriban."

Dustil glared at his father, knowing it was true and knowing it was best he stay on the ship.

"I just…" Carth watched as his son stumbled over his words. "I just don't want to lose you again, Dad. I want to come with you, but I understand why I shouldn't."

"Son," he chuckled, "Ain't nothing in this goddamn universe that could take me away from you now short of death."

Dustil smiled sadly, because his father's death was precisely what he was afraid of.

"Veiled Threat: If you had anything to do with my prolonged immobilisation, Republic meatbag, you may find you will regret it."

Dustil stared at HK-47 standing in the cockpit doorway, the assassin droid enjoyed causing pain way too much for his liking. However, Carth merely chuckled.

"That was hardly veiled, HK, and no, it was Revan who shut you down."

"I thought he was staying in storage," Dustil eyed the droid warily as his red flashing eyes bore in to him.

"Indignant Retort: Master would never keep me in storage! Proud Statement: She appreciates my abilities."

"And that's exactly why T3 reactivated you," Carth told HK. "Revan's been captured and you'll be coming with us to get her back."

"Surprised Exclamation: Who could possibly overpower my Master? Statement: They must be a formidable adversary indeed. Gleeful Conclusion: There will surely be plenty of these meatbags to blast to a bloody pulp between my Master and I."

"Yes, well," Carth began, not altogether sure it was a great idea to activate HK again. "Our plan of action is to draw the least amount of attention to ourselves as possible."

"Patronising Statement: Of course the Republic meatbag pilot is keen to avoid bloodshed, even when it is necessary."

"We need to base this mission first and foremost on stealth," Carth tried a different tactic with the droid. "We don't want them to hurt Revan because of us blasting our way in."

"Deliberating Response: That would not be a satisfactory outcome for a rescue mission and I have no desire for my Master to be harmed. Surprised Conclusion: The Republic meatbag is more intelligent than he appears."

"Well I won't hold my breath for a compliment better than that from you," the pilot muttered as the droid left the cockpit. At least now HK wouldn't run in to the True Sith's settlement blasting everything that moved.

Dustil shuddered. "Seriously, I don't know why Revan kept that thing, it's creepy."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Fourteen_ **  


* * *

****

The crew of the Ebon Hawk stared in tense silence as Xeruun loomed before them, dark and uninviting. The past two days had passed way too quickly for Carth. He had been sure that the journey to the True Sith's planet would feel as though it would take forever, and in a sense it had. It was another precious few days that Revan wasn't safe in the clutches of the Sith. However, once the crew had fully realised what they were up against, the time flew by as Carth desperately tried to figure out how to proceed. Not one of them had ever been to Xeruun before now, so they had no tour guide. Juhani was certain that the planet's atmosphere made it lethal to breathe without a mask, so the True Sith's settlement was either a self-contained sealed city on the surface, or deep underground. Either way, they weren't going to be able to just stroll on in. Also, there was no way of knowing how many Sith they might encounter down there. Carth's estimate was at least one hundred too many. This entire operation was shaping up to look more and more like a suicide mission: they didn't have a plan, they didn't know what to expect and hell, they weren't even truly sure Revan was being held here. But as much as it seemed hopeless, Carth was not backing down. He made a promise to Revan to protect her back before the Star Forge, and he didn't plan on breaking that promise now.

"You know," Mission said suddenly, thoughtfully. "We should've nicked the outfits of those Sith that tried to knock us off on Korriban."

"You remember, like what we did on Tattooine to get in to the Sand People's Enclave," she continued, looking to HK for support when her companions merely stared at her.

"Statement: Ah, yes, I recall how Master insisted on conducting an unnecessarily peaceful transaction with the Sand People. It would have been much more satisfying to pry the Chieftain's gaffi stick from his cold, dead-"

"Yes, I remember," Bastila interrupted the droid, looking slightly green. "But why suggest this now, Mission?"

"I dunno," the twi'lek mumbled, shuffling her feet as she stared at the ground. "Just seemed like a half-decent idea."

Bastila sighed. "Yes, well three days ago it would have been a great suggestion, when we could've actually procured the uniforms."

"It still might be," Jolee mused as he exited the cockpit. The rest of the crew exchanged blank looks, unsure as to what the old man was scheming.

He returned moments later with several Dark Jedi Knight robes, handing one each to the other Jedi and Carth.

"Where did you get these from, old man?" Juhani asked, staring at the black clothing suspiciously.

Even when she had believed herself to be consumed by the Darkness, she had never actually worn the robes of the Sith.

"Oh, you know, just picked them up here and there," Jolee answered vaguely. "Just because you don't like the colour doesn't mean they aren't perfectly decent robes."

"I suppose they will help us blend in to the shadows more easily," Juhani departed from the cockpit to change in to the black robes, figuring she would be less noticeable in them than her bright red Jedi Knight robes.

"Well, short of the True Sith uniform, I guess this is the next best thing," Bastila followed the Cathar to the dormitories to change as well.

"I don't know about this, Jolee," Carth gazed down at the Dark Jedi robes in his hands, he didn't even know where to start to put them on.

"I know you'd prefer your armour, or heaven forbid that hideous flight jacket of yours," Jolee waved away Carth's indignant protests. "But those robes still offer fair protection and much more flexibility than armour. And we'll have a slightly better chance of surviving if we don't draw attention to ourselves as soon as we bust through the door."

"I guess you're right…" Carth held up a piece of the robe and stared at it. "Is this a belt?"

"Hmph," Jolee smirked, shaking his head. "Come on, Onasi, I'll help you sort out your robes."

Mission and Dustil snickered as Carth followed the old Jedi to the men's dormitories, shooting a withering glare over his shoulder at the teenagers. I'm never going to live this down, he thought ruefully, pushing forty and needing a hand to get dressed.

"What are you doing?"

"What? You said to tie it here and-"

"Don't you ever open your ears! I said wrap it around and bring it up and over, _then_ fasten it!"

"Oh…like this?"

"How did you just mess that up?"

"But you said-"

"You think I'm talking 'cause I like the sound of my voice? I said _up_ and over!"

"Oh, for frack's sake! You mean like this?"

"If I _meant_ up, around and under, I would've _said_ up, around and under!"

"But-"

"For crying out loud, Carth! Come here, I'll do it!"

"Uh, no, I'm sure I-"

"Look, wrap it around your waist, see? Then up and over this here and then you fasten it with your belt like this, see? Done. Easy."

"…well, when you do it like that…"

"Hmph, now hurry up and put your boots on…you _can_ manage _that_ can't you?"

"Now listen here, old-"

"Oh save it! Now look what you've done, you've made me cranky! I need a cup of caffa!"

Jolee huffed out of the dorm with Carth glaring daggers at his back as he roughly pulled on his boots.

"Cantankerous old man," he grumbled, attempting to attach his blaster holster to his belt.

Several minutes later he threw the holster aside impatiently, apparently Jedi robes weren't made to carry anything except lightsabers. Carth dug through his overflowing footlocker until he found the thigh blaster holster he had nicked from Canderous ages ago. He deftly strapped it to his left thigh and holstered his favourite blaster pistol before attaching a vibroblade to his other side. Carth made his way back to the cockpit quickly, feeling rather strange wearing something so light. He was definitely able to move much more freely, but he felt almost naked in the billowing robes. He was so accustomed to the weight of armour against his chest.

"Oh wow! Look at you, eh!" Mission exclaimed, her eyes widening in amazement.

"Hey yeah, Dad, you look good!" Dustil was impressed and surprised at his father's appearance. With his height and muscular build, Dustil was expecting Carth to look pretty ridiculous in Jedi robes, but instead he cut an imposing and powerful figure.

"Yes well, he had an awful lot of help!" Jolee returned the pilot's glare over his steaming cup of caffa, still grumpy.

"While you two were getting dressed, Bastila and I have been scanning the Sith planet," Juhani began. "There is nothing on Xeruun's surface, but-" she pointed to a small dark spot on a data map of the planet from their scan, "-right here there is an abnormality, probably the True Sith."

"There's no way of telling how deep underground they are," Bastila added. "But if it's showing up on the Hawk's scan, they can't be too far down."

Carth agreed. "And they have to get underground somehow."

He settled in to the pilot's seat, skilfully manoeuvring the ship toward Xeruun. "I'll set us down a couple hundred metres from the settlement. The planet doesn't look completely barren so I'll try and camouflage the Hawk in some scrub."

"If Xeruun's got a couple of plants and trees, how come it's unlivable?" Mission asked curiously.

"I'm not entirely sure, except that it has something to do with the planet's atmosphere," Juhani replied. "The air is extremely toxic so we will need breath masks."

"Yeah, we've got a few of those in the medbay," Carth interjected distractedly.

"How do you know all this stuff, Juhani?"

"My old Master, Quatra, was also a Cathar and she spent many of her younger years exploring worlds close to our home planet. She told me countless stories of her travels, however I did not think I would ever have a reason to visit this forsaken planet," she added quietly.

X X X X X

Half an hour later the Ebon Hawk touched down gracefully, and her crew assembled in the main hold. The three Jedi and Carth donned protective breath masks, which also had the added advantage of obscuring most of their faces.

"Okay, you three," Carth pointed to Mission, Dustil and T3, "Raise the loading ramp as soon as we leave, and do _not_ lower it for anyone except us."

The two teenagers murmured their understanding as Carth pressed on. "There's no point in keeping our comm links open because we won't get anything but static underground."

The soldier suddenly grabbed Dustil by the shoulders and looked him squarely in the eye. "If we aren't back in twenty-four hours, get out of here."

"What! But-"

"Promise me you will!" Carth cut off Dustil's protests with a firm shake of his son's shoulders.

Dustil sighed and nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Thank you," Carth drew his son in to a short hug before releasing him.

"Just come back, alright!" Mission cried, gripping the pilot's arm tightly.

"Statement: This display of sickening meatbag affection is unpleasant to my photoreceptors, not to mention is wasting valuable time. This would be better spent torturing Sith to uncover the location of my Master."

"Alright," Carth sighed. "Let's go."

X X X X X

Mission stood beside Dustil, her heart plummeting, as she pressed her nose against the glass of the cockpit window, watching her friends' silhouettes fade in to the gloom. She hoped more than anything that she would see them and Revan again soon. The young twi'lek turned to Dustil.

"I don't want to leave without them. We won't really go if they don't come back will we?"

Dustil glanced at Mission, his worried frown wiped away for an instant by his usual grin. "Ha! As if!"

Mission smiled. "Good."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Fifteen_ **  


* * *

****

"You know they'll come after us if we don't come back, don't you?" Jolee said as they walked silently away from the Hawk.

Carth sighed. "Yeah, but at least this way they are safe for a while. And you never know," he added in a forced upbeat tone, " we might actually succeed _and_ live!"

Jolee chuckled, but it was a hollow sound that died quickly. He wasn't really expecting to return from this mission but that didn't bother him. He was old and had had a good life, and what better way to join the Force then to take a couple of Sith with him. But it was the thought that his young companions might not return from this mission that troubled him. As soon as he had recovered from the attack in Marko Ragnos' tomb, he began training Bastila, Juhani and Carth to fight their new enemies effectively. Juhani had learnt the True Sith's lightsaber style easily enough, but it was Bastila who worried him. Even Carth was wielding his vibroblade with newfound intensity, confirming Jolee's private belief that the soldier was somewhat Force Sensitive. However no amount of training could dislodge the technique that Bastila had been taught by the Jedi. If she can't incorporate their style, Jolee thought sadly, she will fall to their sabers quickly.

"Look, up ahead," Juhani whispered suddenly.

Her friends followed her gaze to settle on two large automated gun turrets, swivelling and scanning as they guarded a solid metal door set in the side of a rocky hillside.

"It appears we found the entrance, eh," Jolee commented as the five of them crouched silently in the darkness, deciding what to do next.

"Query: Can I blast them?" HK aimed his repeating rifle at the turrets, but Bastila quickly stayed his hand.

"No!" she whispered frantically. "Look!"

As Bastila spoke, six shadowy figures emerged from above the rocky hillside, their conversation carrying easily to the five companions.

"Well there's nothing out here. I guess whoever it was just passed by the planet too closely."

"You know we still needed to check. We need to search over there as well."

"I don't see the point! Sarwyn's right, there's nothing out here."

"Master Yun'ti would want us to be sure."

"Master Yun'ti doesn't even know a ship was within our sensor's range! There's no sense in informing him of a non-existent threat."

"I don't know why he risked bringing Lord Revan here, someone might've followed them to us."

"Master Yun'ti knows what he's doing, plus that's why we're out here, to make sure no one _did_ manage to find our base."

"Let's go back, I have to train to receive my second lightsaber. My test's two days away."

"Mine too. Hey, did you hear what some of the apprentices were saying about Revan? Loranna told me that Asher-"

"What's that over there?"

"Where?"

"Look, over there near those trees."

"Ha! You guys can check it out, I have to practice for my test."

"I don't think so, Sarwyn, you're coming with. Since you can't get back in to the base without my retinal scan, you don't have much choice."

"Oh, frackin' fine! Let's hurry up then!"

"The Hawk's been spotted!" Bastila whispered urgently. "We've got to get rid of this group."

"Wait until they get closer to us, so we don't have to worry about the turrets just yet," Carth replied. "By the sound of it we need one of those Sith's eyes to get in the door, so don't go stabbing them out."

This last part was clearly directed at the assassin droid, who muttered his reluctant understanding.

"Okay," Jolee whispered quickly as the Sith began drawing closer to their position. "Bastila and I will throw a stasis field over them. It won't catch them all so Juhani and Carth, you get in there and start slashing at the free Sith. Bastila will focus on those caught in stasis and, if it looks like we need it, use your Battle Meditation. HK, shoot at anyone who isn't us!"

"Gleeful Agreement: With undeniable pleasure, wrinkly meatbag!"

"Here they come," Carth bit back a smile at the droid's response. "Time for action!"

Bastila and Jolee threw up their hands, immobilising three of the Sith as Juhani and Carth sped forward to engage in melee.

"Eager Battle Cry: Die! Die! Die!" One of the free Sith was riddled with holes before the other two realised what was happening.

Bastila threw her lightsaber gracefully, cleanly decapitating a Sith in stasis before she called it back to her hand. She leapt through the air over her friends, another frozen Sith in her sights. Juhani fought ferociously, her twin sabers blazing. She gained a slash to her side, which only pushed her to double her efforts, not allowing her opponent to take advantage of another opening. Carth attacked the Sith closest to him, but failed to take in to account the unfamiliar lightness and agility his robes granted him, nearly impaling himself on a glowing red lightsaber. The Sith raised his fist and Carth stumbled backwards, his windpipe constricting in a strong invisible grip. Jolee flew past him as he struggled for air, but though his opponent was now focused on the old Jedi, the force crushing Carth's neck didn't lessen. He reached for his blaster and aimed carefully over Jolee's shoulder, gasping for breath. The split second the Jedi was out of his line of fire, he pulled the trigger. The Sith collapsed heavily to the ground, his invisible grip on Carth instantly gone. The single remaining Sith had barely thrown off the stasis before both Bastila and Juhani plunged their lightsabers deep in to his chest.

"Exclamation: That was intensely gratifying and the most fun I've had in years!"

"Hey HK," Carth knew the droid would take a perverse amount of pleasure in this grisly task, but he certainly didn't want to do it. "Can you collect the heads of these Sith? We don't know which set of eyes we need to unlock the door, and I don't want to lug every dead guy over to the retinal scanner."

"Overjoyed Response:-"

"Just do it."

"Looks like we have the proper outfits now," Jolee remarked slipping a Sith balaclava over his head and breath mask.

"You look downright creepy," Bastila shuddered, quickly relieving another dead figure of their balaclava for herself before HK finished his gruesome task. Carth and Juhani swiftly followed suit.

"It ought to be easy to destroy the gun turrets from a safe distance using the Force," Juhani observed.

"Hmmm, maybe we shouldn't destroy them though," Jolee muttered thoughtfully. "They might set off an alarm or something else equally inconvenient."

"We can just disable them long enough to pass through the entrance," Bastila suggested and the other two Jedi agreed.

"Come on, HK," Carth called as the Jedi threw an arc of electricity at the turrets. "Bring all those…heads over to the door."

Carth made the assassin droid hold up a severed head one after the other to the retinal scanner while the three Jedi kept the gun turrets inactive. Finally the huge door slid open and Carth squinted in to the darkness, making out a long flight of steps leading deeper in to the gloom.

"And we're in," he wrinkled his nose in disgust before adding, "Er, HK, you might want to keep a hold of that head, we might need it again."

"Gleeful Response:-"

"Just do it."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Sixteen_ **  


* * *

****

"Jorelyn?" Revan whispered hesitantly.

Her voice was shaky and weak, but it was different from her usual hysterical cries and screams. She sounded aware.

"Yes, I'm right here," Jorelyn replied gently. "How do you feel?"

Revan seemed to only be able to fight to the surface for a short while, before dissolving in to a crazy mess again. Jorelyn jumped on these opportunities to actually speak with Revan, trying to find a way to help her, but this was only the third time she had managed to fight above whatever plagued her since she had been in his care.

"The pain…my head…hurts too much," Revan whispered, closing her eyes.

"I know," Jorelyn replied helplessly. "I think it's the inhibitor but I don't know how to remove it safely. If I don't do it correctly it could make it worse or even kill you! Master Yun'ti is the only person who can take it off, but apparently he's off-planet for several days…I wish I could do more, I really do."

"Jorelyn…" Revan shuddered, then her screams shattered the room. "The dark, the shadows…they're coming!"

Her screams escalated to incoherent cries and Jorelyn sighed heavily. He jabbed her with yet another sleep-inducing stim; it was the best he could do to ease the woman's suffering. Over the past couple of days the medic had become increasingly certain that the Sith's relentless administering of the truth serum had resulted in a build up of extremely high levels in Revan's system, causing hopefully only temporary insanity as she continued to fight the serum. However, he was sure that the powerful Force inhibitor had aggravated the effects, perhaps even causing permanent damage. Jorelyn wanted to remove the inhibitor but didn't know what Revan was capable of, not even taking in to account her current state of mind. Not that he ought to mess around with it anyway, as Apprentice Asher had visited yesterday to check on the ex-Sith Lord's progress, and informed him that only Master Yun'ti could remove it safely. Jorelyn didn't believe Asher but did not want to risk attempting to dislodge the inhibitor based on that judgement. Instead he did everything he could to ease Revan's constant pain, which was basically to keep her sedated until Master Yun'ti returned to Xeruun. But Jorelyn was getting worried, Revan's condition had rapidly deteriorated and he was beginning to fear for her life as well as her mind. He was jolted out of his thoughts by his assistant appearing at the door.

"Apprentice Asher's here again," Marna glanced over her shoulder nervously toward the Sith waiting impatiently.

The Master's apprentice was an intimidating man and, though his burning eyes were all that was visible, he never failed to terrify her. Marna didn't need to be Force Sensitive to be aware of the power and pure darkness that rolled off of Asher.

"What does he want?" Jorelyn was growing tired of Asher's frequent and unnecessary visits. "I keep telling him that if Revan's state changes dramatically, I would alert him."

Marna shrugged helplessly, clearly not wanting to provoke the apprentice's ire by asking him to leave. Jorelyn reluctantly left Revan's bedside to join Asher in the main infirmary room.

X X X X X

The apprentice watched silently as Jorelyn walked toward him. Asher was brimming with excitement, terror, apprehension and glee; he had fleshed out a brilliant plan to gain control of the True Sith and be rid of his Master, all at the same time. It is Yun'ti's time to die, he thought angrily, the memory of his powerlessness at his Master's hand still painfully fresh. But he needed the most powerful Sith by his side. He needed Revan. Since Master Yun'ti had been called off-planet for reasons he had not shared with his apprentice, Asher thought this the perfect opportunity to set his plan in motion.

"Something you need, Apprentice Asher?" Jorelyn inclined his head in a small bow toward him.

"Take me to Lord Revan," Asher smirked as the medic baulked slightly at Revan's true title.

"She is sedated and still very unstable. I will let you know immediately if-" Jorelyn stared over Asher's shoulder at the dozen Sith suddenly and swiftly filing in to the small confines of the infirmary.

Asher sneered at the medical officer as the Sith stood silently behind him, it had not been hard to find several others that wished to oppose Yun'ti. Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought their Master was not moving to complete the True Sith's goal swiftly enough.

"Take me to Lord Revan," he repeated, and this time Jorelyn nodded slowly, leading the way to the small room where the ex-Sith Lord lay unconscious. Asher smirked at the medic's unease at the presence of the other twelve Sith, but the apprentice was not taking any chances. Lord Revan was powerful, whether a Sith or Jedi, so Asher wisely came prepared with back up.

"Wake her up," he demanded.

"What!" Jorelyn was startled and uncertain as to what the apprentice was scheming. "The pain she is in, do you know-"

"I am not going to tell you again," Asher's voice wavered dangerously, he was not a man to cross.

The medic stared back at the Sith defiantly, and Asher realised that he was willing to put his life between himself and Revan. He sneered at Jorelyn's foolishness and clenched his fist in the Force Choke he was so fond of. The medic's eyes widened in fear but it was his assistant who fell to her knees, gasping painfully for breath as she scratched at the invisible crushing hand around her throat.

"Refuse me again and she dies," he said by way of explanation, relishing the woman's terror and pain.

Jorelyn barely hesitated for a second before snatching up a stim from his supplies and injecting Revan. Moments later Revan stirred, groggy and disorientated, and only then did Asher release his hold on Marna. He had planned on killing the young woman regardless, but was distracted by the ex-Sith Lord's growing yet hysterical state of consciousness.

"Still screaming incoherently I see," Asher spoke as though remarking on nothing more than the weather. "Well don't you worry because Asher's here to rescue you, my lord."

"What are you doing!" Jorelyn's heart flipped anxiously as two Sith held Revan still, ignoring her cries, and Asher reached out towards her. The medic's heart beat fast and hard against his chest as realisation hit him.

"No! But you said Master Yun'ti was the only-"

"Silence!" the apprentice's voice cut through the air like a vibroblade, but Jorelyn was unperturbed.

"But if it isn't removed properly you could ki-"

What little patience Asher possessed evaporated, more quickly than usual with Revan's ceaseless screaming, and Jorelyn's sentence was cut off immediately when the apprentice threw a strong Force Push at the medic. He crumpled against the wall painfully, not seriously hurt but very much winded, and could only watch helplessly as Asher began to concentrate on dislodging Revan's Force inhibitor.

X X X X X

Marna struggled to her feet and rushed from the small back room to the main of the infirmary, sucking in the precious air as the door swung shut behind her, dulling Revan's blood chilling screams. Her hate for the Master's apprentice intensified and her fear of him skyrocketed as she steadied herself against a desk, gasping as though she had not taken a breath for hours. She was worried for Jorelyn but was too afraid to enter the room again. Marna buried her head in her hands with a shaky sob, ashamed of her cowardness, but her head jerked back up as fast as lightning when several Sith and their droid entered the infirmary.

"Admit it, HK, you're lost. We've been wandering around this damn hellhole for hours following your fracking directions to the prison cells!" one spoke in a hushed but angry tone, clearly agitated.

Marna realised that they had not seen her and she quickly ducked down behind the desk, unwilling to face anymore of the Sith bastards. But, she thought, how could they possibly be lost in their own base?

"Indignant Response: I am a highly sophisticated hunter-killer droid who is extremely efficient in eliminating designated targets, not an inferior astromech trash compactor that-"

"Ha, whatever, I don't care! I would have thought that you could at least recall the damn schematics you downloaded!"

"Threat: If you wish to retain the full use of your-"

"Will you two be quiet!" a firm female voice intervened. "I can't believe you haven't managed to get us killed yet with your incessant arguing!"

Marna peeked over the desk toward the five figures with mingled fear, hope and curiosity. They didn't sound like the harsh, unfeeling Sith that she met on a daily basis, nor did they sound like they were even supposed to be here.

"I'm sorry, Juhani," the man said with a sigh. "It's just that we've been here for hours and haven't found a trace of her. And I think it's just plain dumb luck we haven't been discovered yet."

Marna squinted at the tall man next to the fearsome rust-coloured droid. His voice sounded familiar, as if she had heard him speak many times before.

"We've come a long way," a second female spoke in hushed tones. "We will not leave without her now, Carth."

On hearing his name Marna gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth, realising in a rush why he was so familiar. She had seen him on the holovision numerous times over the past ten years or so. Admiral Carth Onasi, Republic hero, famed soldier and pilot, loyal, honest, respected. Marna put two and two together and got four: he was here to rescue Revan. However, her audible gasp had drawn their attention, and she found herself facing a rainbow of sizzling lightsabers and a couple of blasters.

"Statement: This quivering meatbag has surely deduced as to what our intentions are. Pleading Query: Shall I kill it? Please allow me kill it?"

"No! Don't kill me Admiral Onasi, sir!" Marna sobbed, staring up fearfully at HK's repeating rifle, then baulking in disgust at a severed head in his clutches.

"Eh what! Keep your voice down," Carth lowered his blaster. "How do you know who I am?"

"Sarcastic Statement: Ah yes, I shall lower my guard in the midst of my enemy's base of operations to everyone who begs for their life, for it surely would not be a ruse to gain an advantage."

"I recognise your voice!" Marna quickly answered Carth's question, thankful that the humans seemed to ignore the droid, but somewhat uneasy at how they weren't particularly bothered by the presence of a head minus a body. "You're here for Revan, yes? She speaks of you, sir, but she's not right. They've done something to her!"

"What? What do you mean?" Carth's voice was urgent, but his concern shone through his eyes.

Marna shrugged helplessly. "I'm not really sure. They put some kind of Force inhibitor on her and interrogated her…over and over again…and now she's…"

"What! Now she's what?"

"Now…it's like it all drove her…mad," the medical assistant finished lamely, looking away from the Admiral's intense gaze. "Jorelyn's been doing everything he can but-"

The unmistakable crackle of Force Lightning followed by painful loud screams reverberated through the room. All eyes turned toward the back room's closed door apprehensively.

"She's in there," Marna whispered, backing away fearfully.

Carth's emotions raged out of control. "What's going on in there! It sounds like they're hurting her! I'm going in-"

Before he could move, and before Marna could warn them about how bad an idea that was, Apprentice Asher burst from the room, clearly fleeing for his life.

"She's crazy!" he screamed at them, his usually cold, hard eyes awash with terror. "Frackin' insane!"

He nearly made it to the exit before Revan appeared in the doorway behind him, throwing a huge amount of pure Force energy at Asher's back. He was dead before he hit the ground, his body still convulsing and jerking with electricity.

"Shocked Appreciation: Why Master, I never knew you had it in you!"

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Seventeen_ **  


* * *

****

Carth stared at Revan, his mouth hanging wide open though unseen behind the True Sith balaclava he still wore. He felt as though he hadn't seen her, spoke to her, touched her for years. He wanted to rush to her side to tell her that he loved her and would never let anything like this happen again, but something, something made him hesitate. Carth had never seen Revan call on such a Dark power since the Jedi had wiped her slate clean, but that wasn't what caused him to pause. No, he knew many Jedi did not limit themselves to utilising purely Light Side powers, why Jolee, Juhani and Bastila had shown him that. And it wasn't Revan's appearance that made him stop in his tracks, for while she seemed gaunt and pale and her long brown hair hung in a tangle of knots, she was still a vision of beauty to Carth. No, it was her strangely blank expression, her glassy, vacant eyes, the way her hand was still outstretched in front of her chest crackling with barely contained electricity, that caused him to pause. It unsettled and angered him that the Sith had done this to his love. Carth could see beyond Revan's figure that she had already dealt with at least a dozen other Sith and suddenly he realised the danger in wearing the balaclava, tearing it off, but he still made no move toward Revan. Her reaction, however, was instantaneous.

"Carth," she whispered, her eyes glowing with awareness and clarity, her outstretched hand falling heavily to her side. "You came."

"Of course I came!" his voice threatened to break as he closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, pulling Revan to his chest.

His heart constricted in his ribcage as she broke down, holding her closer as her body shook with each sob. Suddenly she pulled away, her eyes fearful and her expression pained.

"Something wrong…in my head…hurts," she fell to her knees, cradling her head in an effort to lessen the pain.

Revan squeezed her eyes shut tightly and let out a scream that sent chills down Carth's spine.

"Oh my God!" he knelt by her side not knowing what to do, afraid and worried.

His heart ached at the pain Revan was in, and he felt all the more powerless not knowing how to help her.

"It's not me…I'm sorry, Carth…it's not me…I love you…"

"Wha-" Carth stared at her, confused and fearful.

Revan scratched at her temples crying for Carth to help her, drawing tiny rivers of blood, before her chilling screams suddenly ceased. She rose to her feet, the eerie blankness of her eyes causing even the three Jedi to shiver. Carth stood up slowly beside Revan, not all that certain of what the hell was going on with her, and he admitted he was more than a touch afraid at the moment.

"Uh, sonny, you might want to move away from-"

But Jolee's warning was too late as Revan released the strongest Force Scream Carth had ever heard. He didn't have time to blink before the Scream invaded his skull, rendering him senseless, and he blacked out before his body hit the ground.

X X X X X

_No!_ Revan screamed as she watched Carth and her friends fall, but her body paid no heed to her guilt and horror. Her tiny voice was lost within her own mind, and her body merely stepped over the fallen figures of her friends.

"Confused Statement: Master, while I certainly do not hold the Republic meatbag in particularly high regard, my memory informs me that for reasons beyond my understanding, you do," HK-47 followed his master out in to the hall beyond the now fairly crowded infirmary, unharmed by the Force Scream. "Observation: While I am pleased to observe you attacking indiscriminately there is, however, the matter that your current behaviour does not match the neural recognition pattern in my memory core."

Revan stared at the assassin droid silently, too weak to fight her body, and hoped HK did not turn around and head back in to the infirmary to finish off her friends. Her friends – who she had been through so much with, who had come all the way to the farthest reaches of the system for her – and she had attacked them, unable to fight against her body which she seemed to have a back seat view in. Revan sobbed hopelessly, her hands shaking almost unnoticeably as the only sign of her internal struggle.

"Statement: Reformatting memory core to align with current neural recognition pattern…Searching…Jolee Bindo, Jedi, one hundred percent ally…Reconfiguring…One hundred percent threat…Searching…Carth Onasi, Soldier, one hundred percent ally…Reconfiguring…One hundred percent threat…Searching…Bastila Shan, Jedi, one hundred percent ally…Reconfiguring…One hundred percent threat…Searching…Juhani, Jedi, one hundred percent ally…Reconfiguring…One hundred percent threat."

_No you stupid droid!_ Revan screamed in horror through her sobs. She wanted to snatch HK's repeating rifle and beat him with it until the droid was nothing more than a pile of ruined parts. But her body ignored her.

"Statement: Reconfiguration complete…Reinitialising…Success. Statement: At your service, Master. Eager Query: Shall I kill something for you?"

HK stared expectantly at his master but, having no sense of control over her own body, Revan couldn't reply. But if she could…she entertained the idea of ordering the bloodthirsty droid to destroy itself, wondering if HK would have to obey her command. At her drawn out silence, the assassin unit moved to stand by her side, his rifle cocked and ready.

"Statement: I merely await your command, Master."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Eighteen_ **  


* * *

****

Jolee struggled to his feet, his vision blurred, ears ringing and back cracking in places he wasn't sure was all that good. He quickly checked the status of the figures scattered on the floor around him, glad he wasn't close beside Revan when she Screamed. He had been knocked around by it plenty even with being the farthest away from her, so he cringed with sympathy at Carth's still figure who had copped the brunt of it. The pilot was out cold and wouldn't come around for at least an hour or so, Jolee guessed. Bastila and Juhani were already recovering, climbing slowly to their feet slightly dazed. Jolee could hear HK-47 presumably speaking with Revan immediately outside the infirmary, but made no move to seek them out. She's not quite herself at all, the old Jedi thought, but now is not the time to deal with that. He glanced down at the dead Sith still buzzing with electricity, and briefly wondered how the hell they were going to get out of here alive and whole. HK's mechanical voice invaded Jolee's thoughts and he was suddenly paying close attention to what the droid was droning on about.

"…Bindo, Jedi, one hundred percent ally…Reconfiguring…One hundred percent threat…Searching…Carth Onasi, Soldier, one hundred percent ally…Reconfiguring…One hundred percent threat…"

The three Jedi stood together quietly, exchanging glances as they ignited their lightsabers, just in case HK decided to come back and pay them a visit.

"Never did like that droid much," Jolee muttered, and the two women murmured their agreement.

After several minutes it became clear that Revan and her assassin droid had been distracted by True Sith down the hall, and the sizzle of Force Lightning punctuated by HK's rifle blasts began to disappear as the pair moved further away.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Bastila asked anxiously.

"Hmph! Why, you think she can't handle herself?" Jolee shot back. "Or do you want to get in her way, find out what other friendly Force powers she's got up her sleeve? Or perhaps you want that goddamn crazy droid's rifle barrel down your throat!"

"You know full well that something is…wrong," Bastila's eyes flashed angrily.

"I know," the old man sighed, his expression softening. "But between Revan and HK, she'll be fine for now. You are aware of that though."

"Yes," the young Jedi admitted. "But Force Lightning may be preferable to what Carth will do if he wakes up sans Revan."

Jolee chuckled, despite the situation. "True."

"Well we seem to have a rather large assassin droid problem," Juhani began, removing her Sith balaclava along with Bastila and Jolee. "But I think we should try to avoid destroying him if possible."

Bastila agreed grudgingly. "HK is useful, and he's an excellent ranged fighter."

"Well do try to remember that if we have to face off against him," the old Jedi grumbled.

"You have a bigger problem."

The Jedi turned to face a man emerging from the infirmary's back room, devoid of the Sith uniform.

"You the medical officer here?" Jolee asked sharply, his lightsaber still ignited.

However, almost immediately he deactivated it and clipped it to his belt, the man was no enemy. The medic's eyes took in the scene quickly, glancing over the three fallen figures, his gaze settling on the young woman's slumped form.

"Marna!" he cried as he rushed to her side, feeling for a pulse.

"She's fine," Juhani assured. "Well…just unconscious."

The medical officer nodded slightly as he rose to his feet, clearly relieved that his assistant was not in danger, but paused beside the dead Sith's body with a scowl.

"Wish I could've killed him," he muttered darkly. "But I suppose it was fitting that Revan did."

"You must be Jorelyn?" Bastila queried, continuing at the medic's nod. "What's wrong with Revan? What has been done to her?"

"I…don't rightly know," Jorelyn's expression remained sombre as he relayed to the Jedi what he knew of Revan's condition.

"Sounds like the damage can be reversed, or at least stopped," Bastila mused. "But I think that it is only due to her strength and…feelings for Carth that she is holding on."

"Eh, what!" Jolee leaned toward the young Jedi, one hand behind his ear. "It sounded like you just admitted that love is keeping her with us, that love is not the weakness your stodgy Jedi Masters make it out to be, that love-"

"Alright, Jolee, I get it!" Bastila snapped. "However now is not the time for your longwinded-"

As if to emphasise Bastila's words, a loud, piercing alarm blared, drowning out all conversation. Sounds like Revan's stirring up trouble, Jorelyn smirked ruefully at the thought.

"How are we supposed to get Revan out of here if she and the droid are likely to attack us on sight?" Juhani asked between pauses of the deafening blaring of the alarm, wincing as her sensitive ears began to throb painfully.

_We'll have to stun Revan then disable HK-47,_ Bastila spoke to the other two Jedi through the Force, _as she is much more dangerous._

_Stun Revan?_ Juhani asked. _Is that even possible? And if we do, then what? She'll be just as dangerous when she breaks out of stasis._

_You're both absolutely right,_ Jolee mused.

_Then what do you suggest?_ Bastil's irritation with the man was almost on par with her concern for Revan.

_Well we can disable HK easily from afar,_ Juhani added, _but still…Revan…_

_Yes,_ Jolee interjected, _we're going to have to fight dirty against that one._

He bent down beside Carth and retrieved the pilot's blaster pistol, switching the setting to stun mode.

_Now,_ he said as the two women stared at him quizzically, _even without her lightsaber she's still bloody good at deflecting blaster shots, so you two will have to be bait._

_That does not sound pleasant,_ Juhani commented, the overwhelming Force Scream clear in her mind.

_Ha! Force Scream!_ Jolee remarked, picking up on the Cathar's thoughts. _Revan'll be throwing much worse than that at you. Just don't take it to heart, she's definitely not herself._

_Now,_ the old man stroked his chin thoughtfully, well aware that he hadn't reassured Juhani in the slightest, _it certainly isn't the most humane thing, but we don't have much of a choice._

The two women nodded their understanding remorsefully, sensing Jolee's guilt and sorrow at the decision, and turned toward the silent medic.

"Jorelyn," Jolee spoke between the grating blares of the emergency siren. "You wouldn't happen to still have Revan's Force inhibitor, would you?"

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Nineteen_ **  


* * *

****

Jorelyn stared at the old man in quiet shock, the guy wasn't serious, was he? He had waited patiently, albeit with a growing sense of curiosity, as the three Jedi clearly had some sort of telepathic Force conversation. Not to exclude him, he knew, but because of the damn alarm. Now they were finished and gazed at Jorelyn, waiting for his response.

"Uh, why?"

"It's the only way to get her out safely," the old Jedi clarified. "Safely for us."

While it didn't sit at all well with him, Jorelyn knew where Jolee was coming from. He himself had witnessed the powerful Revan kill twelve men with a simple flick of her wrist only moments before. He nodded reluctantly and sped to the back room, snatching up the inhibitor from Revan's bedside table where Asher had carelessly thrown it, about fifteen seconds before his unexpected death. Not that he was complaining, thought Jorelyn as he raced back to the Jedi. Jolee held out his gloved hand impatiently but the medic shook his head.

"I don't think so. I need to put it on her. I've only seen it removed but that gives me more experience than you with it. That means I'm coming with you."

The old man stared back at him incredulously. He looked as though he was going to explode with several reasons as to why Jorelyn was the biggest nerf-herder this side of the galaxy when the Cathar drew forward.

"Jolee," she spoke softly as she placed her hand on his arm.

Jorelyn guessed that she must have said something more to him through the Force, because Jolee suddenly snorted and began moving toward the door.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, then paused with a glare at Jorelyn. "Well? After kicking up such a stink, I'd have thought-"

Suddenly the room was strangely quiet, then the medic realised that the deafening siren had ceased.

"What a relief!" the Cathar exclaimed, rubbing her temples.

"I hope that's not because Revan has been captured again," Bastila's eyes darted around the room, her worry obvious. "I doubt the True Sith would treat her kindly after she's been frying their followers."

"Well then, perhaps we should get moving?" Jorelyn suggested impatiently, silently adding that the Jedi seemed to do an awful lot of chatting and not a whole lot of action.

Jolee glared daggers at him as though Jorelyn had spoken his thoughts aloud and he shifted uncomfortably, averting his eyes.

"Juhani, stay here with Carth and the young woman," Jolee spoke, his fierce gaze finally breaking away from the medical officer. "Don't want them to wake up and-"

The teeth-rattling siren rang in their skulls once more, this time accompanied by fit-inducing flashing red lights. Revan must really be giving them a run for their credits, Jolee thought with a smile, that's my girl. Juhani took up position in the middle of the infirmary, her hand resting at the ready on her belt at the hilt of one of her sabers. She nodded confidently at the old man as he, Bastila and Jorelyn left to follow the trail of holey, sizzling dead Sith toward Revan.

X X X X X

Dustil sighed as Mission checked her chronometer for what was the four hundred and thirteenth time as she tapped her foot against the echoing steel floor of the cockpit subconsciously. Yes, he had started counting after the first half hour. Now, after five hours or so of waiting, both of them were too anxious to do anything but sit silently together in the strangely comfortable cockpit. Well, that is, Dustil sat silently. Mission sighed and tapped her foot and, at regular intervals, would voice her concern that their friends had been gone for too long. Dustil himself was almost sick with worry for his father and he stood abruptly, unable to sit still any longer.

"Where you going?" Mission asked suspiciously.

"To the 'fresher," he replied, walking toward the door.

"Oh, okay," Mission leaned back in to the pilot's seat, studying her fingernails carefully, a not-so-innocent innocent expression taking hold of her features.

Dustil left quickly so Mission wouldn't catch sight of his smirk, he could see right through her. He reached the refresher and closed the door behind him loudly, but opened it again silently to listen. Sure enough, as soon as the young twi'lek heard the refresher door close, she darted out of the cockpit toward the girl's dormitories. Dustil chuckled to himself as he ran stealthily in the opposite direction, skidding to a stop in front of his equipment locker. He suited up quickly in his light armour and grabbed his double-bladed vibrosword before speeding to the female bunks.

"Ready?" Dustil asked Mission, a knowing smile playing on his lips as she ran out of the dorm, nearly bowling Dustil over.

She had donned the purple armour she wore everywhere and wielded a blaster Carth had given her as well as her custom-made vibroblade. She looks cute and deadly, Dustil thought with a slight flush, but quickly pushed the involuntary observation away.

"Uh huh, looks like you are, too!" Mission grinned unabashedly. "Let's go!"

"Oh, wait!" she dashed back in to the dormitory, reappearing moments later with a belt of grenades slung over her shoulder and an extra blaster pistol, as well as two breath masks.

She shoved the blaster in to Dustil's belt, smiling at his incredulous expression, unsure whether it was directed at the numerous grenades or her bold action.

"Always good to have options," Mission grinned as she headed for the loading ramp attaching her mask as she walked, Dustil falling in to step beside her after a moment's hesitation.

Mission pushed the button to lower the ramp, but turned with a guilty sigh as T3-M4 appeared beside them.

"Beep deep boop dwoo," he whistled at them accusingly.

"I know but they've been gone for so long! Aren't you worried?"

"Beep deet doop!"

"Well they might be in trouble so we're going, and you can't stop us," Dustil spoke quietly but firmly. "You should stay here, though, make sure no one nicks the ship."

"Dwoo," T3 answered, clearly realising that he couldn't stop them disobeying their orders, and watched them disappear in to the heavy gloom.

After several minutes hesitation T3 raised the loading ramp, and with one loud whistle followed the tracks Dustil and Mission had left in the dirt. He didn't want it etched in his memory core that Mission and Dustil were hurt. Plus, no one else seemed to follow orders on this ship.

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Twenty_ **  


* * *

****

Dustil squinted in to the gloom. "Looks like gun turrets. I wonder if they came this way because the turrets are still active. Should be easy enough to-"

"Oh ew!" Mission exclaimed in disgust.

Dustil followed her gaze to their left and flinched when he saw several headless Sith bodies. "Oh that's not cool! Where are their heads gone?"

Mission put her hand over her mouth, looking slightly ill, as she pointed between the swivelling gun turrets. Dustil narrowed his eyes and this time spotted a pile of heads beside some sort of small computer.

"Well I guess they did come this way. Must be HK's handiwork," Mission whispered, her lekku trembling with disgust.

"Do you have any ion grenades?" Dustil asked, changing the subject. "That'll bring down those turrets faster than frags."

"Uh…" Mission quickly checked her supply. "Nope, looks like frags will have to do. We should be alright as long as we stay low."

"Ok, let's concentrate on the one on the left first," Dustil said as the twi'lek handed him a grenade before pulling the pin off of another. "Go!"

Dustil's throw was slightly off but still was within range to cause some damage, but Mission's aim was true. However, the frag grenades didn't seem to affect the turret at all. They quickly threw themselves to the ground as the turrets opened fire on them.

"Ok, not good!" Mission exclaimed.

The blaster shots ceased but now they could hear the loud piercing scream of an alarm to draw attention to their actions.

"Oh man!" Dustil groaned, hitting the palm of his hand against his forehead angrily. "I guess that's why they didn't take out the turrets! God, that was stupid!"

"Well if we've messed things up for them on the inside, we need to get in there and help!" Mission looked to be on the verge of crying at the thought that she could be responsible for her friends' deaths.

Dustil nodded and grabbed another grenade, peeking over the small mound they were taking cover behind and lobbed it. He wasn't brilliant with grenades anyway, but his anxiety was causing havoc with his aim. Mission lobbed another and ducked back down as Dustil's and then her frag exploded. They risked another peek and yelled in dismay when they saw that the grenades were having absolutely no affect on the turrets. Suddenly the most welcome sound possible reached their ears.

"Beep boop dwoop!" T3 rolled up beside them, ejecting an ion grenade at each of them from one of his many compartments.

"T3, I have never been happier to see you in my life!" Mission exclaimed as she pulled the pin on an ion grenade before jumping up and throwing it.

Dustil handed his ion grenade to the twi'lek. "You're way better than me. I'd just waste it."

Mission flashed him a broad smile but quickly threw herself to the ground again as her previous grenade exploded. This time they heard the unmistakable sound of twisting metal, however both turrets were still firing at them. T3 activated his shields before rolling over the hill, firing his ion carbine relentlessly at the undamaged turret, while Mission threw the last ion grenade to destroy the other. One exploded in to a pile of wreckage while the other slumped immobile, sparks flying. The teenagers breathed a sigh of relief as the siren ceased.

"T3, you just saved our skins," Dustil patted him affectionately, he much preferred the astromech droid to the assassin unit.

"I think I owe you a lifedebt," Mission smiled as T3 whistled happily at the attention.

They walked over to the huge metal door behind the destroyed turrets and inspected it closely.

"There's no handle or keypad or anything," Mission muttered as she stared at the door.

"Beep boop deet," T3 rolled over to the small computer, but stopped as they severed heads blocked his path. Dustil's face scrunched up in disgust as he kicked the heads out of the way, and Mission's heart leapt despite the sickening situation. He looks so sweet when he does that with his nose, she blushed and turned away, staring at a bodiless head to distract her thoughts.

"What can you do with it, T3?" Dustil asked as the droid examined the strange monitor.

T3 whistled quietly as he pried open a small metal compartment at the back of the computer. After several minutes the huge metal door slid open, accompanied by the screaming siren.

"AH! Can't you get rid of that?" Mission yelled over the noise, her hands over her ears, but the astromech droid was already trying.

All he managed to do, though, was add some flashing red lights, which lit up the darkness around them through the open door.

"Beep dwoo deet!" T3 screamed apologetically, rolling away from the computer.

"Ok, well let's go then!"

They scrambled through the closing door, running right in to a small group of True Sith trying to get out of the base. The Sith didn't hesitate to ignite their lightsabers so the trio didn't falter either. Dustil thanked the Force that he and Mission had spied on the Jedi and Carth as they practiced the Sith techniques, and immediately fell in to the stance with his weapon. He ducked behind T3 as the droid spewed out a ball of flame, catching two of the Sith, who immediately broke away from the fight, their screams of agony barely audible over the alarm. Mission appeared beside Dustil and they fell in to the dual fighter technique which had proved to be their strength. The twi'lek weaved to the left and he to the right, giving their single opponent barely any time to defend against them both. With Mission's speed and Dustil's strength, the Sith fell in a matter of moments. T3 had shocked the remaining Sith in to a pile of twitching limbs, and the three companions stared down at their felled attackers.

"We should keep moving," Dustil said, glancing around for more Sith that may be lurking. "They must've been new apprentices because that was too easy."

Mission nodded and fell in to step between Dustil and T3. She didn't want to admit that she was scared beyond thinking straight and didn't find that fight quite as easy as what Dustil seemed to. The flashing lights and ear-piercing siren weren't helping her nerves any.

"We should try to find a way to shut down that stupid alarm," she yelled, attempting to be proactive rather than risk thinking about how she and her friends might die down here.

"Yeah, the lights are giving me a headache and I can barely think," Dustil grumbled.

They stopped walking as the came to a five-way fork in the hall.

"Um…" Mission realised now why Carth and the Jedi had been gone for so long.

"Maybe we should…" Dustil pointed down one hall and then the next, not sure which way to go, as T3 beeped uncertainly.

"Let's just go down the middle one," the teenagers said in unison. They glanced at each other with a self-conscious smile and flushed, realising that the other was holding the gaze.

T3 agreed and set off down the hall, distracting the pair in to following him. They walked in silence, aside from the deafening blare of the siren, for what seemed like at least half an hour, when the reached another junction in the hallway. The trio stared down each of the four passages in turn, no middle one to choose out of default. They hadn't even seen any rooms branching off from the corridors nor any Sith since the entrance.

"Um, maybe we should AHHHH!" Mission screamed in surprise as Juhani materialised about a foot away from her face.

"What are you three doing here!" the Cathar didn't look entirely happy to see them, but was clearly relieved that they were not injured. "I distinctively heard Carth tell you to _stay on the ship_!"

"Well…we, uh…" Dustil felt as though he was a child who had done something really naughty.

Juhani waved her hand with a sigh. "It doesn't matter. Come with me."

"Is everyone ok?" Mission asked desperately. "Did you find Revan?"

"Y-yes," Juhani replied hesitantly, her firm demeanour slipping. "I'll explain everything when we get back to the infirmary-"

"The infirmary!" Dustil interrupted, fear gripping his heart. "Are you sure everyone's ok?"

"Kind of," the Cathar sighed and then winced, massaging her temples. "Are you three responsible for that damnable alarm?"

Mission and Dustil exchanged guilty glances while T3 wholeheartedly accepted the blame.

"Well there's a console in the infirmary," Juhani spoke hopefully. "Maybe you could try turning it off there? I don't have the knowledge to do it."

"How did you find us?" Mission asked as she walked beside Juhani.

"I have known you two for so long that I can sense you quite easily, and I just assumed T3 would be with you. I dare say the Ebon Hawk is now sitting in the open unattended, hmmm?"

Mission stared at the ground, finding it very interesting all of a sudden, until T3 beeped in defiance.

Juhani stifled a smile. "Indeed, I hope you did lock it."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Twenty-One_ **  


* * *

****

Carth groaned and felt a lump on the back of his head with his fingers, his landing obviously hadn't been particularly smooth. He opened his eyes to stare back in to a pair that were almost exactly the same.

"I'm sure I told you to stay on the ship," he sighed, closing his eyes as a wave of red flashing lights assaulted his vision, causing his skull to throb painfully.

Dustil just grinned down at him. "You look like crap. You're lucky T3 managed to deactivate the alarm or your head would be pounding."

"Yeah, well, you cop a Force Scream right in the face and see how great you look!" Carth retorted as he sat up.

He groped beside his leg but his hand grabbed nothing but empty air. "Hey, can anyone see my blaster around anywhere?"

Dustil, Mission, T3 and Marna murmured in the negative while Juhani quickly pushed a medpack in to the pilot's hands. He injected the kolto in to his arm and immediately felt the pain in his head lessen.

"How long have you three been here?" Carth asked sternly as he pulled himself to his feet, scanning the ground for his weapon.

"Oh, about three quarters of an hour," Mission estimated. "But Juhani only found us about fifteen minutes ago."

"So, why didn't you stay on the ship, and who's keeping the Hawk secure since you're all here?"

"Uh…well, it's locked," Dustil tried the earlier joke.

"Well goddammit it bloody better be!" Carth exploded. "I told you to stay on the ship for your own safety, not because-"

"DAD! I'm not a kid!" Dustil's temper flared to match his father's. "We can take care of ourselves! You should've let us come to begin with, we aren't completely useless!"

"Carth! Dustil's right!" Mission exclaimed angrily. "We ain't kids, so you should stop-"

"Mission!" Carth rounded on the teenager, who shrank away as the soldier visibly swelled with anger. "You nearly…you shouldn't…you both should've stayed on…"

The pilot's anger evaporated and he slid down the wall to sit on the floor, his face in his hands. This whole mission was beginning to weigh on him: not being able to protect Revan, not being able to keep Mission and Dustil out of harm's way, and then finding Revan not quite how she used to be. Carth felt the tears behind his eyes but forced them back. It had hurt that Revan had attacked him, he had been clinging on to the hope that he could make everything right for her after what Jorelyn had told him. He felt an arm around his shoulders and a small blue hand peeled his hand away from his face.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Dustil said softly, squeezing his father's shoulders as emphasis. "Sometimes I forget that you worry about me just as much as I worry about you."

Carth nodded with a smile, not trusting himself to speak. He looked around the infirmary room as a distraction, slightly embarrassed as everyone in the room was focused on him. Then he did a double take, there seemed to be a lot of people missing from that 'everyone'.

"What happened to Revan?" he demanded. "Where's Jolee and Bastila? And HK?"

Mission and Dustil shrugged and glanced at Juhani.

"Juhani said she would tell us everything when you woke up so she didn't have to explain it all over again," Mission stared expectantly at the Cathar, along with everyone else in the room.

"Is Jorelyn okay?" Marna asked hesitantly.

"I…don't know," Juhani began. "They have gone to, er…get Revan and HK."

"Huh?" Carth was confused. "But they were just with us not long ago."

"Y-es," Juhani tried again, this was proving to be a lot harder than she had originally thought. "Revan isn't entirely, um, herself, as you know, Carth, and HK-47 seemed to take that in his stride and…now he perceives us as potential threats."

"So," Mission tried to gather together what she understood. "They've gone to get Revan, who might attack them, and HK, who might attack them?"

Juhani nodded helplessly. "That's why Jolee has your blaster, Carth."

"What has that got to do with it?" Dustil had no idea what seemed to be going on, and he was sure Juhani was much better at explaining things than this. "They've got lightsabers. They not going to hurt her, are they?"

"Of course not!" Juhani bristled at Dustil's comment.

"I'm not following," Marna spoke politely.

The Cathar sighed. "Jolee took your blaster to stun Revan with long enough to replace the Force inhibitor so she isn't likely to kill us accidentally so we can take her away from here, and they're going to disable HK because he seems to think we are enemies because Revan attacked us, and Jorelyn went with them because he is the only one who can replace the inhibitor, and I really thought they would be back by now!"

Juhani finished with a deep, shaky breath as she glanced at the door, hoping to see the others returning.

"Excuse me?" Carth's voice was dangerously quiet. "They are going to put the inhibitor back on her…no wait…they're going to shoot her intentionally?"

"Carth, I know you don't agree with it, but it's the only way," Juhani began. "We can help her when we get her away from Xeruun."

"She's right," Marna boldly spoke. "I've seen what Revan's like with and without the inhibitor since she's been here, and neither is good but at least she isn't shooting out lightning when the Force is suppressed."

Carth looked as though he was going to continue to object, but Jolee suddenly burst through the door, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

"We've got to go. Now," the old man was bleeding heavily from a blaster wound to his arm.

Jorelyn appeared behind him with a subdued Revan thrown over his shoulder ungracefully, Force inhibitor in place. Carth did not react well to this sight.

"What the hell do you think you're playin' at!" he approached Jorelyn angrily.

The medic looked rather uneasy as Carth neared him, but Jolee waved his hand.

"We really need to leave," he said.

A blank expression appeared on the pilot's face. "We really need to leave."

"Everybody head back to the ship," Jolee spoke again.

"Everybody head back to the ship," Carth repeated.

"Jolee!" Dustil was shocked. "How could y-"

Bastila spoke from the hallway, a disabled HK hovering in front of her as she glared angrily at Jolee's back. "Dustil, you can yell at him later, as I will also, but for now we must leave. The Master of these True Sith has learned of our presence and if we don't hurry, we might have a not-too-friendly greeting party."

Dustil glared at his former Master with disbelief, ignoring the old man's obvious guilt at his actions as he tugged on his father's arm. "C'mon Dad, we have to go."

"Yes," Carth replied dazedly. "To the ship."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Twenty-Two_ **  


* * *

****

_Approximately One Hour Earlier…_

"Reluctant Admission: Master, these True Sith meatbags are putting up quite the fight."

Blaster bolts whizzed past Revan's face, barely centimetres away, but it hardly mattered to her whether they found their target or not. She was locked in battle with three Dark Jedi; one in stasis, one stunned, and one beginning to realise that he was going to die very soon. HK was against her back, launching grenades and firing relentlessly at the seemingly never-ending number of soldiers and battle droids. It is strange, thought Revan, to be hearing, seeing and feeling, but to have absolutely no control. She could feel the blood of her opponents as it spattered against her skin. She could feel HK-47's mechanical warmth on her back and the vibration of the frags he threw. Revan could see the growing fear in the Siths' yellow eyes and hear their groans as they fell to their knees with their last breath. And yet, she could do nothing. Revan was silent, sometimes reciting the Jedi Code, as Bastila had taught her, if she felt she was veering toward panic again. She was far from calm and collected, certainly, at having no say in what her body was doing, but hysterical panic had already proved useless and dangerous. She could hear a voice in her head, sometimes just beyond understanding; a whisper beyond reach, and in her earlier panic it became louder, almost drowning out her own thoughts. It had shook Revan to the core for it sounded like her, but it whispered of ways to kill her opponents more painfully and the dark ways people could be twisted to do her bidding. But the most frightening thing was that her body listened to it, and obeyed. However, she discovered that she could control this voice, to an extent, as it remained a murmur beyond understanding, as long as she stayed calm. As long as she stayed calm. There is no emotion; there is peace.

"Reluctant Admission: Master, while I do take undeniable pleasure from snuffing out the lives of these Sith meatbags, I do not wish to be damaged extensively. Hesitant Query: Might it be prudent to seek out repairs and escape planet Xeruun? Rapid Retraction: I am merely interested in your safety, Master. You must be fatigued from your ordeal."

If HK's getting worried, thought Revan, we should probably find a way off planet. She Crushed the life from the Dark Jedi she was fighting, just as the two on either side of her regained their senses. One leapt forward quickly, clearly with intent to skewer her on his lightsaber, while the other threw up her hand, targeting Revan through the Force. Revan dodged the lightsaber, having no weapon of her own to defend against it with, however this left her open to the full effects of the Life Drain thrown at her. She fell to the ground heavily, her body landing at the feet of the two Dark Jedi, who both raised their sabers to strike.

"Shocked Query: Master?"

X X X X X

Jolee, Bastila and Jorelyn moved silently along the hall, dead Sith soldiers and Dark Jedi littered their path and screams of Force Lightning, along with the loud constant shots of blasters, echoed down the corridor, indicating where they were headed. Jorelyn gripped the Force inhibitor tightly as he walked between the two Jedi, trying not to think of all the ways in which their current assignment could fail spectacularly. A fool's errand, he thought. A suicidal fool's errand, he corrected, glancing down to avoid stepping on one of many dead, sizzling Dark Jedi. But they had little choice.

"Considering what we've seen and heard, she seems to be alive and well," Jorelyn muttered, fear creeping quietly in to his heart at the evidence of Revan's power that lay around him.

"Alive, yes," Bastila's brow creased. "But not well. Revan is not…should not be capable of this."

The young Jedi gestured around her at the dozens of lifeless bodies as emphasis.

"Shouldn't be capable of such destruction _after_ the Council got hold of her, is what you mean, isn't it?" It was hardly a question, as Jolee knew the answer. "You forget, Bastila, that such powers came to her naturally _before_ your intervention."

"You think she is Sith?" Jorelyn interjected with a hint of anxiety.

"No…perhaps…if we aren't careful."

Bastila stopped and whirled to face the elder Jedi. "How can you say that? Revan Kay L'tahn was a great Jedi Knight before the Wars, and the Council righted her path again!"

"Righted her path?" Jolee cried incredulously. "She didn't have any choice but to take the path you and your Council thrust upon her! Especially with you harpin' on about the dangers of the Dark Side, why, the girl was afraid to refuse a beggar!"

"Uh, you two, we-" Jorelyn began as he stared past the bickering Jedi.

"A small price to pay to bring balance and save the galaxy!" Bastila interrupted, her eyes flashing. "We brought her back to the Light!"

"Perhaps, but Revan did not get there by her own devices, the Jedi forced her. That's hardly returning to the Light!"

"Look, you guys, we-" Jorelyn tried again, urgently tugging on Bastila's arm, but she shook him off, her attention focused on Jolee.

"She has proved herself loyal to the Jedi many times over! She saved Juhani, she…" Bastila faltered, her anger fading. "She saved me."

"That is true," Jolee replied gently. "But the past has an annoying habit of catching up with you."

"You question my-"

"Of course not," the old man interrupted exasperatedly. "That's what I'm trying to say dammit! You have faced your past mistakes, Revan never got the chance."

Bastila nodded slowly, understanding and, to her surprise, agreeing.

"And," Jolee continued quietly, glancing at the many bodies that surrounded them, "how thorough _really_ was the Jedi's memory wipe on her?"

"Enough."

"Enough?"

"For the Star Map mission."

"I see," the aging Jedi frowned. "But what about to _live_?"

The two Jedi fell in to a thoughtful silence, which Jorelyn attempted to take advantage of, but Bastila spoke before he could utter a word.

"Look! Up ahead in that room!" she pointed as the trio ran closer without a sound. "It's Revan and HK!"

Jorelyn sighed angrily. "That's what I've been _trying_ to-"

Shh!" Jolee glared at him. "Do you _want_ to give our position away?"

Jorelyn dragged his hand across his face with irritation. Sure, the True Sith strike fear in to the heart, but the Jedi were damn infuriating. He forgot his irritation instantly when Bastila spoke again.

"Oh my god! She's going down!"

The three ran in to the room swiftly, watching with trepidation as Revan fell to the ground, at the mercy of two Sith. They needed to cut through at least a dozen soldiers before they could reach her. Too many, too many, Jorelyn thought with panic.

"Shocked Query: Master?" HK swivelled around to see Revan lying motionless behind him and the two grinning Sith with their lightsabers raised.

"Statement: Original Master protection protocol initiated," even as HK's mechanical voice rang out, he was shooting out an arc of red-hot flames. "Success."

The two Sith grabbed at their faces, screaming in agony while the assassin droid continued to hold down the trigger on his flame thrower. "Angry Rhetorical Query: You dare harm my Master while this unit is present?"

Bastila and Jolee engaged the soldiers in melee while Jorelyn hung back and fired Carth's blaster, thinning the numbers between them and Revan quickly. HK took the opportunity of the distraction to inject his Master with a medpack, however he did not lower his blaster carbine nor take his glinting red eyes off of the battle still raging. As Revan stirred slightly, HK turned to face the trio who had dispatched the grunts fairly easily, stepping between them and his Master.

"Warning: Do not come any closer than the nineteen point seven feet that you are at currently. Blatant Lie: I do not wish to harm you."

Jorelyn edged behind the Jedi, unsettled by the droid, but his blaster still cocked.

"Look, HK," Jolee said firmly. "Revan needs to get away from this planet. She needs medical attention."

"Statement: I utilised a medpack on her injuries, she requires no further by my estimate," he levelled his carbine at Jolee, who had inched forward. "Threat: Move again and I will not hesitate, Jedi Bindo."

"It's not just her physical injuries," Bastila remained still but desperate to convince the maniacal droid. "It's her mind as well. She needs help!"

"Irritated Response: Master is fine. Her actions match that of my initial neural recognition pattern of approximately four years, seven months, eight days, five hours, and thirty-two seconds ago."

"Oh, I see," Bastila replied with a sideways glance at Jolee, remembering their brief exchange earlier.

"Look, HK," Jolee spoke again, taking a step forward. "There isn't time to-"

"Statement: Activating shields. Success. Activating limited Force shielding. Success. Pleased Response: I told you not to move, Jedi Bindo," HK fired his carbine as he spoke.

Jolee could blame his lack of reaction on old age, but in reality, he did not expect HK-47 to shoot him, which was a poor assumption on his part. He grimaced as he grabbed his shoulder, attempting to slow the heavy bleeding. He managed to throw up an energy shield to stop further attacks, but HK was now focused on Bastila, who the droid deemed as more of a threat than the injured old man or the unknown meatbag. Bastila herself had immediately thrown up an Energy shield as well as she advanced on the assassin droid, her hands spewing out wave after wave of Force energy to wear HK's Force shield down. The droid seemed to realise he was in trouble, and quickly aimed his ice carbine at the young Jedi, who was frozen in mid-stride. Jorelyn fired several stun shots at HK, but they just glanced off of his shield. Jolee targeted the assassin unit with several disabling Force waves, and finally his shield could not take anymore. The droid's shield flickered and was gone, however, Jolee did not have the energy to draw on the Force after such enormous effort. Jorelyn kept pelting HK with blaster shots to keep his attention away from Bastila, who would be their only hope at disabling the droid. Bastila finally shook off the icy tendrils that held her and fired a strong disabling wave of energy, which, with a sigh of relief, she was glad to see take effect. She ran to Revan's side, checking her vitals, while Jorelyn attempted to aid the old Jedi.

"What are you doing? Shoo, shoo!" Jolee waved the medic away. "Get that inhibitor on Revan!"

Jorelyn knelt beside Bastila, carefully fixing the inhibitor in to position while Revan was still unconscious. It whirred then snapped closed around her skull, looking innocently like a silver bandana.

"How do we get them out of here now?" Jorelyn asked, his eyes still on Revan.

"You take Revan," Bastila glanced over her shoulder. "Jolee needs healing but I won't have enough energy to carry HK and keep him deactivated if I aid Jolee."

"I'll be fine," the old man grumbled. "But we should get moving immediately."

Jolee led the strange party back to the infirmary, Jorelyn behind him with Revan awkwardly over his shoulder and Bastila following, HK hovering in front of her.

"Well, we didn't need to stun her after all," Jorelyn patted his pocket where he stashed Carth's blaster.

Jolee turned his head slightly and spoke over his injured shoulder. "I wouldn't be too pleased if I was you."

Jolee paused as the reached the closed door of the infirmary.

"Huh?"

"Well," the old Jedi said as he placed his hand on the door knob, "Carth's probably awake now, and not only do you have his favourite blaster pistol, you've got his girl flung over your shoulder…unconscious."

Jolee grinned mischievously at the medic, who looked rather unsettled. "Wouldn't want to be you right now."

The old man's expression quickly changed and he turned to Bastila, who also appeared extremely worried. "Did you feel that?"

"What?" Jorelyn felt rather uneasy at the glance the Jedi shared, and knew that whatever they had felt through the Force was not good at all.

Bastila nodded. "I think the True Sith's Master knows we have Revan back."

Jolee nodded grimly then flung open the infirmary door, revealing their startled friends. "We've got to go. Now."

 

* * *

  ** _Chapter Twenty-Three_ **  


* * *

****

Jolee trudged along morosely beside Juhani, who had kindly healed his injury, courtesy of HK-47, without a word. He could not remember feeling so terrible in at least thirty decades. He stole a glance at Carth, who was walking with a strange blank expression between Dustil and Mission, and guilt stabbed at his heart once again. The teenagers were whispering furtively, likely about his unforgivable actions, Jolee thought with a sigh. Using a mind trick on Carth was justified, he half-heartedly defended himself. They could not waste time, and it would have taken too long to calm and convince the pilot that what they had done had been the best course of action. The old Jedi had not even been sure that it would work, with Carth being both Force Sensitive and considerably irate at the time. He shuddered as he thought how the soldier would have reacted to a failed mind trick attempt. Jolee knew that, though they did not see eye to eye some of the time, he and the pilot shared a solid friendship. He sighed heavily, wondering how his recent actions would affect this. Bastila, who had also expressed shock at his manipulation of the soldier, was deathly silent. Usually the young Jedi did not hold back when she believed Jolee had done something against the very ideals of the Order, but she had not said a word since they left the infirmary twenty minutes ago. He glanced behind him past Carth and the teenagers to catch sight of Bastila. The young woman was concentrating on keeping the troublesome assassin droid deactivated and suspended in front of her, as he was too heavy for anyone to carry, so he hoped that was the reason for her silence, otherwise it somehow seemed to mean that what he had done was truly and utterly terrible. Jolee turned to face forward again but Dustil caught and held his gaze. The boy sped up to fall in step beside him, leaving Carth and Mission walking behind them.

"Master Bindo-"

"Dammit, Onasi, don't call me that," Jolee interrupted with a grumble. "Makes me sound like a Jedi…and old."

"Sorry…Jolee," Dustil gave a small smile, which made the old man's heart ache. I'm getting too soft, he thought. Never would he have imagined that he would care what this bunch of kids thought of him. Yet, here he was feeling guilty and miserable, not that he showed it outwardly.

"Will Dad remember what…what you did?" Jolee could not tell if Dustil was angry and, he suddenly wondered, when did Carth become 'Dad' rather than 'Father'.

He remembered when he, Carth and Revan first found Dustil in the Sith Academy. So full of bitterness and anger, which was likely encouraged by the Sith Masters, he had sneered at Carth.

_"Oh, look everyone! It's Father, come to rescue me at long last!"_

The boy had certainly come a long way since then, but Jolee could not pinpoint the time when Dustil called Carth 'Dad'. It would have been a turning point, a personal sign of the repair of their relationship.

"Jolee?" Dustil stared at the old man with a worried expression.

"Eh? Sorry, miles away."

"Will he know what happened?" Dustil asked again patiently, staring at the ground as he walked.

"No," the old Jedi replied simply. "But I'll be sure to tell him about it, when we get out of here."

"He'll be angry."

"I don't doubt it, sonny."

"I understand."

"That he'll be furious?"

"No, well yes," Dustil shook his head. "I mean I understand why you-"

"I know," Jolee interrupted, his heart feeling a little bit lighter. "Thanks…Dustil."

They shared an awkward smile, until an ear-piercing scream exploded the silence. Jorelyn had unceremoniously dropped Revan, so startled was he by her unexpected scream, alerting all to her consciousness. Even Carth had been snapped out of his dazed reverie. A crunching, metallic crash sounded through Revan's shrieks, indicating that Bastila's concentration had also been shattered. However, no one moved, and they stared with horror as Revan crouched on the floor scratching at the Force inhibitor, not seeming to realise or care that she received a sharp shock every time she touched it. Her screams sent shivers down Jolee's spine but, when her screams became coherent, his skin crawled and prickled.

"Get it OFF…it hurts…the pain! NO, leave it…can control…NO, the voice! Too loud…STOP! Make it STOP! DIE…kill me! The pain…the voice…no choice! Kill me…no choice…"

Jorelyn was now moving quickly, pulling something from a bag hanging over his petrified assistant's shoulder, and making his way swiftly back to Revan. But he had not counted on Carth's intervention. The soldier gripped Jorelyn's arm tightly with surprising strength as he appeared suddenly at the medical officer's side.

"What are you doing? What's that?" Carth tore his uncertain and anxious gaze from Revan, glancing at the tranquilliser in Jorelyn's hand before settling a hard stare on the medic.

Before Jorelyn had a chance to reply, the soldier had released him, a worried and scared expression flitted across his face. "Will it help her?"

"Knocks her out so she doesn't feel the pain," the medic muttered as he knelt beside Revan, who was sobbing and shaking, still tearing at the inhibitor.

Seconds later Revan slumped, unmoving, and Jorelyn moved forward to pick her up again.

"No way!" Carth angrily slapped a hand on the medic's shoulder, forcing him back. "I saw how you dropped her!"

He bent low and gathered the broken Jedi gently in his arms, holding her close to his chest as the motley party began walking again, albeit in complete silence. Revan's sudden outburst was not easily forgotten. Mission and Dustil had fell behind Carth, too unsettled and shaken to walk near Revan. Jolee himself began thinking upon what Jorelyn had told him about Revan's condition and what he had seen so far. He could not think clearly, worried as he was, but one thing was certain: she was quiet, deadly and strangely vacant without the inhibitor. And yet, when she was crowned by it, she was in pain definitely, but seemingly more aware. She had said, 'the pain, get it off', but what had she screamed after that, Jolee tried to remember. 'Can control', he recalled. Control what? And 'the voice', Jolee wondered, what was that? It was all extremely worrying, especially when she has screamed for them to kill her, but something else struck him. Something about the group's immediate future. They were escaping with three extra people, but they only had enough masks for those who had come in. The old Jedi could see the dark gloominess of the stairs leading to the planet's surface ahead, and quickly turned to Juhani beside him.

"There are nine of us," Jolee whispered.

Juhani looked at him with quiet puzzlement. "Yes, Jolee. I am glad that a stroll through the True Siths' base has not altered your-"

"I mean," he interrupted, rolling his eyes, "we have only six breath masks."

The Cathar stared at him, eyes widening as she realised their predicament. She glanced behind them, quickly double-checking Jolee's ability to count, before turning to face the old Jedi again. She now shared his concern.

"We are Jedi," she whispered. "We can slow our breathing so only trace amounts of the planet's toxins reach our lungs."

"So we give yours, mine and Bastila's masks to the medics and Revan," Jolee nodded, but almost instantly another thought struck him. "Bastila can't control her breathing and deal with HK…and I'm beginning to sense we won't have a clear run to the ship. We will most likely need to fight."

"…The Sith must have plenty in the infirmary, we could send someone-"

"Too risky," Jolee shook his head. "There may be Sith still skulking around. And the longer we wait, the closer more danger draws near."

They seemed to be approaching the stairs too quickly now.

"What if we send Carth ahead to the ship?" Jolee whispered, a plan emerging in his mind. "If he runs he should reach it before-"

"What if he's seen?" the Cathar hissed, her concern melting in to desperation.

"Hmph, I bet he doesn't know how to use a stealth generator either."

"…I could go."

"Do you even know how to fly the ship?"

Juhani shook her head. "I could take T3-M4. Neither of us will need masks, and I can remain in stealth to protect the droid without being seen and control my breathing through the Force."

Jolee listened to Juhani's lilting voice, realising that they didn't have many options, and this plan seemed like it had a slightly better chance of succeeding. Slightly.

"Okay," Jolee agreed after several moments. "You can feel as well as I that we have little time. We will likely run in to trouble before you reach us with the Hawk…hurry, Juhani."

With a nod and a small smile, the Cathar handed her mask to the old Jedi and beckoned to T3, disappearing up the stairs before any one else noticed.

_**~~To be continued (...if I ever manage it, but after 5-6 years, I'm rather doubting it...)~~** _


End file.
